Current:Home > InvestThis photo shows the moment Maine’s record high tide washed away more than 100-year-old fishing shacks -Profound Wealth Insights
This photo shows the moment Maine’s record high tide washed away more than 100-year-old fishing shacks
View
Date:2025-04-14 03:48:56
MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) — A record high tide in Maine washed away three historic fishing shacks that had stood since the 1800s and formed the backdrop of countless photographs.
Michelle Erskine said she was visiting fisherman’s point at Willard Beach in South Portland on Saturday when she captured video footage of the last two wooden shacks sliding into the ocean.
“Oh no. They’re both going. Oh no!” she can be heard saying on the video.
Erskine, who has lived in South Portland all her life, said her son had his senior photos taken at the shacks and wedding parties often visited them.
“It’s truly a sad day for the community and the residents of South Portland,” Erskine said in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday. “History is just being washed away.”
The shacks, owned by the city of South Portland, had just undergone a facelift in October when they were repainted.
They were the last in a series of fishing shacks that predate the city’s incorporation after they were first built along the shore and then moved to their most recent location in the 1880s. Erskine said they once housed lobster traps and fishing gear. Two shacks were destroyed in an earlier storm in 1978.
A record 14.57-foot (4.4-meter) high tide was measured in Portland, Maine, just after noon on Saturday, after a storm surge amplified what was already the month’s highest tide, said National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Cempa. That broke the previous record of 14.17 feet (4.3 meters) set in 1978 and was the highest since measurements began in 1912. Cempa said the tide gauge measures the difference between the high tide and the average low tide.
The surge flooded some homes in Orchard Beach and Kennebunkport in Maine, and Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. It came just days after a previous storm damaged one of Maine’s most beloved lighthouses which is featured on the state quarter.
“Very sadly, all three fishing shacks at Willard Beach have been completely destroyed,” the city wrote on its Facebook page.
But the South Portland Historical Society sounded a note of hope, saying on social media that it had prepared for such an event by last year enlisting architects and engineers to create drawings “so that everything would be in place to build reproductions of the shacks, if needed.”
The society is asking for donations to rebuild.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- NCAA President Charlie Baker would be 'shocked' if women's tournament revenue units isn't passed
- Mom of suspect in Georgia school shooting indicted and is accused of taping a parent to a chair
- Climbing car sales, more repos: What's driving our 'wacky' auto economy
- Lady Gaga Details Her Harley Quinn Transformation for Joker: Folie à Deux
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Chicago White Sox tie MLB record with 120th loss
- Trial in daytime ambush of rapper Young Dolph 3 years ago to begin in Memphis
- Week 3 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- Mega Millions winning numbers for August 6 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $398 million
- Who plays on Monday Night Football? Breaking down Week 3 matchups
Ranking
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Kyle Larson dominates at Bristol, four Cup drivers eliminated from NASCAR playoffs
- Unique Advantages of NAS Community — Unlock Your Path to Wealth
- White Sox lose 120th game to tie post-1900 record by the 1962 expansion New York Mets
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- Lizzo addresses Ozempic rumor, says she's 'fine both ways' after weight loss
- Sudden death on the field: Heat is killing too many student athletes, experts say
- Here's What Erik Menendez Really Thinks About Ryan Murphy's Menendez Brothers Series
Recommendation
Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
Milton Reese: U.S. Bonds Rank No. 1 Globally
What game is Tom Brady broadcasting in Week 3? Where to listen to Fox NFL analyst
USC fumbling away win to Michigan leads college football Week 4 winners and losers
A steeplechase record at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then a proposal. (He said yes.)
Proof Gisele Bündchen's Boyfriend Joaquim Valente Is Bonding With Her and Tom Brady's Kids
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen Share Professional Update in Rare Interview
Eek: Detroit-area library shuts down after a DVD is returned with bugs inside