A woman and her dog escape devastating flooding in Newry, Maine

 By Dan Dowling, regional communications manager

“Before I left, my power had been flickering. I noticed that the water was high, but I didn't think anything of it. I decided to bring my dog and I went to breakfast.”

Jeannette Ross with Red Cross volunteers Mary Owen and Ann Cibelli

Jeannette Ross had been living in Newry, Maine for three years when historic flooding struck this past December, causing significant damage to homes and leaving many communities across the region devastated. Just days before Christmas, she went out for breakfast with a friend, unaware that she would not be unable to return. Ross normally doesn't bring her dog when she goes out but was so thankful she did on December 18th.

“There was an unbelievable amount of water coming down my road and I knew it was getting bad,” said Ross.

When she returned, the fire department had blocked access to the road and her home. They refused to allow her to proceed further due to the rising water.

“I could tell that the water was up. I was pretty sure at that point my basement had to have been totally full. I’m lucky I had my dog in my car,” said Ross.

“Soon the road was completely impassable, and I tried to get out of town, and two out of three roads were flooded,” recalled Ross.

Ross ended up finding a place to stay in Medford for two days while she waited to hear about her home as the flooding began to recede.

“I got a message from my neighbor saying that a piece of my foundation had gone missing. Then I got a video from another neighbor, and you could just tell that the entire foundation was gone,” said Ross.

Though her home is a total loss, Ross remains positive. She says she's grateful to the Red Cross for supporting her through the emotional ordeal.

“The Red Cross has been very helpful and I'm very, very thankful for everything that they've done. They've been very reassuring and calming, which has been nice,” said Ross.

Emergencies are more common than you may think. In fact, the American Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes and is ready to respond 24/7. Since 2019, we’ve seen a six-fold increase in the annual number of disasters causing $1 billion or more in damage, compared to 40 years ago. This relentless pace of severe disasters has created more ongoing emergency needs — including for families who have been displaced year after year by extreme weather.

“It's been amazing. It's been nice to feel all the love that has come from unexpected places,” said Ross.

During a disaster, the Red Cross provides safe shelter, food, relief supplies and comfort to those in need. If you want to help support our mission, make a financial donation, sign up to volunteer or schedule a blood donation by visiting redcross.org.