SOUTH PORTLAND — A torrential rainstorm Wednesday night flooded roads in South Portland and Scarborough and forced dozens of streets to be closed, leaving several stranded vehicles in washed out roads.

The National Weather Service in Gray reported almost 6.5 inches of rain fell at the Portland Jetport during the storm, most of it in a period of about two to three hours. The area averages about 3 inches of rain during the entire month of August.

In South Portland, police reported receiving about 60 calls for flooded basements, furnace problems and road closures. Though they reported no injuries or emergency medical transports, South Portland Fire Department Lt. Robb Couture said a handful of people were assisted in vehicles stalled on flooded streets.  

Construction areas with unpaved roads on Grandview Avenue off of Main Street in South Portland and Pleasant Hill Road in Scarborough were hit particularly hard by the storm, with most gravel washed away from roads at the Pleasant Hill site.

Grandview Avenue was the only street in South Portland still closed as of 7:30 a.m. Thursday, but police were still conducting a street-by-street evaluation of storm damages.

In Scarborough, portions of 11 roads were closed Wednesday night, according to dispatchers. Included were U.S. Route 1 along the Scarborough Marsh, Gorham Road at the Nonesuch River, as well as areas on Black Point Road near Camp Ketcha and Payne Road.

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All roads were re-opened Thursday morning.

Scarborough Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said a downed wire on Beech Ridge Road caused power outages, and one home on Old Blue Point Road was evacuated after an part of a wall in an unfinished basement reportedly collapsed.

Thurlow said most road work would be cleaning up and repairing cosmetic damages. There were no reported injuries, rescues or accidents in Scarborough related to the storm.

Cape Elizabeth Public Services Director Robert Malley reported no road closures in town. Two flooded basements were pumped, and a tree toppled on McAuley Drive.

Forecaster reporters Kate Gardner and David Harry contributed to this story. Shelby Carignan can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 106 or scarignan@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @shelbycarignan.

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Scarborough resident Adam Chick waits for help early Thursday morning, Aug. 14, in his car, which was disabled by high water on State Street in Portland’s Deering Oaks Park. Torrential rain soaked the area, causing widespread flooding in low-lying areas. Chick’s was the last vehicle to enter the water before police closed the street.

South Portland resident Mary Ann Ericson uses her vantage point to guide her sister around standing water early Thursday morning, Aug. 14, on State Street in Portland’s Deering Oaks Park.


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