Kennebec County Emergency Management Agency

03/30/2026

Kennebec County EMA conducted the final risk assessment workshop which focused on natural hazards and potential impacts. Donny Dumont, Warning Coordination Meteorologist from the National Weather Service spoke with the group about the statistical likelihood, severity and impact on local economy and human life as it relates to specific hazards. As you can see it was a full house, every town was represented by one or more of the following: Fire Chiefs, local EMA directors, water/sewer districts, public works, town managers, police chiefs and select board members. The efforts from this dedicated group will serve Kennebec County well by improving the county's resiliency to all hazards and by enhancing recovery efforts should a major disaster occur.
Special thanks to the Maine National Guard for allowing us to use Camp Chamberlain for this important event, as well as US National Weather Service Gray ME and Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) for presenting!

03/17/2026

Last night's wind gusts of 45-50 MPH slacken this morning,but blustery winds of 20-25 MPH are forecasted to persist into Wednesday, before tapering off into late Wednesday morning.Today’s temperatures will steadily decrease throughout the day falling below freezing later this morning resulting in any standing water to become black ice. If you lose power report the outage to CMP by visiting their website at https://portal.cmpco.com/report-outage or by calling 1-800-696-1000.

A strong cold front will push through the region this morning, accompanied by strong gusty winds and rain. Behind the front colder air will rush into the region, plummeting temperatures. Rivers will continue to rise through the better part of the day, with localized minor flooding still possible. Black ice could develop later today and tonight where standing water remains.

03/16/2026

03/14/2026

The US Coast Guard plans to stage their 65' asset USCG Shackle in the Merrymeeting Bay area to begin icebreaking operations on the Kennebec River this Monday. Dependent on weather conditons they plan to work north from Merrymeeting Bay towards Gardiner.

Recent observations on the Kennebec River from Gardiner to South Gardiner show that the river has opened in the middle with ice remaining on the banks. Memorial bridge, Gardiner to Farmingdale there is sporadic openings with significant thinning in the remaining ice. Foggy Bottom to Hallowell the river appears to be mostly covered and unchanged. With that said, Augusta is experiencing ice jamming, as evident on the USGS we**am at Calumet bridge, as shown in the photo below. The current conditions should continue into tomorrow with little precipitation expected.

NWS Gray has forecasted a brief wintery mix early Monday morning which will transition to rain before mid-day, wind gusts around 30 MPH expected and temperatures warming to the low 50s. These temperatures should remain throughout the week, with a possibly dip into the 30's Wednesday. These conditions should assist with the breakup of ice and reduce the risk of ice jamming throughout the week.

Follow NWS Gray for forecast updates by visiting weather.gov/gyx. River levels in Augusta can be monitored on the USGS web page here https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/USGS-01049320

03/10/2026

Don’t miss it! "Ice Jams 101" Skywarn Training tomorrow March 11 at 530 PM. The ice is starting to move across New England, learn how to spot and report it. Open to everyone!

Ice Jams 101 Training. Ice jams are as unpredictable as they are fascinating, and they can cause major flooding in just minutes. With extensive river ice growth this season, we’re inviting everyone to join NWS experts from across New England for a virtual training on “Ice Jams 101”, an advanced Skywarn session on the science and safe monitoring of river ice.
When: March 11 5:30 - 6:30 PM
Who: Open to everyone! You do not need to be a Skywarn Spotter to attend.
Hosts: NWS Caribou, Gray, Burlington, Boston, and the Northeast River Forecast Center.
To register go to https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8483336293549767008

03/09/2026

Today, towns in Kennebec County worked collectively to prioritize threats and hazards, assess capabilities and identify areas of improvement as they relate to Adversarial threats and hazards. Adversarial threats and hazards are intentional, malevolent actions by people to harm people, property and/or the environment. The effort in this process from town managers, fire, law enforcement, public works and water/wastewater is indicative of the great dedication to the communities they serve by ensuring an effective response and recovery from major natural and man-made events potentially impacting Kennebec County.

Shout out to the Maine National Guard for allowing Kennebec County to use Camp Chamberlain, as well as to Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Maine Information and Analysis Center for presenting. Thank you!

03/09/2026

Flooding is the most common disaster in Maine. For this reason, 98% of communities in Maine participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and have adopted Floodplain Development Regulations that incorporate the minimum federal regulations for development in flood-prone areas.

Learn more about the NFIP at https://www.maine.gov/dacf/flood/index.shtml
Find out if your community participates https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance/work-with-nfip/community-status-book

03/07/2026

03/06/2026

03/04/2026

To talk about Emergency Management the right way, we have to start from the ground up...with you and your community.

Every emergency begins and ends locally. Your town’s responders, officials, and neighbors are the first to respond and the last line of recovery.

https://www.maine.gov/mema/ema-community/county-local/local-emergency-management

03/02/2026

Happening now, every town in Kennebec County is participating in the Kennebec County Risk Assessment. This process takes an all hazards approach profiling natural, technological, and adversarial threats and risks. Today, the group is addressing Technological Hazards. The process provides the jurisdictions an opportunity to speak to the larger picture and inform the county and state of the capabilities and future needs.

Shout out to the Maine National Guard for allowing Kennebec County to use Camp Chamberlain, as well as to Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Maine Department of Environmental Protection for presenting. Thank you!