20+ Photos of the Massive Flooding and Effects in Old Orchard Beach, Maine

When photographer Chelsea Hamilton heard about the flooding in Old Orchard Beach, she grabbed her camera and headed out.

Chelsea is from Biddeford and is a southern Maine photographer (Captivating Moments Photography by Chelsea). She's very familiar with Old Orchard Beach and has photographed it often in the spring and fall.  But she got her boys to put on muck boots and head out. It was kinda fun for the kids to wade through the water on West Grand Avenue and around the library. But when you see people row by in a canoe, you gotta scratch your head.

Chelsea spoke to a member of the fire department the afternoon of the storm, and he said that this was the slowest they have ever seen the ocean recede. It looked much better the morning after. There were only a few roads underwater, and puddles had frozen overnight.

It was also sad to see the devastation. Chelsea has such a good eye that she was able to capture the ironic and sad beauty.

Maine has taken a terrible beating this winter. A week before the holidays (and just three days before the official start of winter), we had the Grinch storm to deal with. Snow, rain, winds, and power outages. Then this storm just a couple of weeks later, and wait for it, yet another storm Saturday. And yes, this storm has wind, rain, snow, and power outages all possible.

Hang in there Old Orchard Beach! We love ya, we're rooting for you, and you know we'll invade your beaches in just a few short months!