BY MORNING SENTINEL STAFF

While home and property owners in northern Maine prepare for wide-scale flooding as a result of Tuesday's heavy rain, emergency-management officials are relieved it hasn't been worse closer to home.

"We sort of dodged a bullet," said Robert Higgins Sr., Somerset County Emergency Management director. "So far it looks like we've had minimal damage. It reflects on the mitigation planning and systems we've had in place for the past five years."

Still, roads are washed out, basements are soaked and 150 students at the University of Maine at Fort Kent were evacuated Wednesday as the St. John and Fish Rivers ran over their banks.

As much five inches of rain spread across the region Tuesday, adding flow to rivers and streams already running high from snow melt in the western half of the state.

The National Weather Service posted a flood warning for much of Maine north of Augusta and a flood watch for all but easternmost Maine late Wednesday.

The Kennebec River, which crested at 69,000 cubic feet per second, was down to 67,300 by 4 p.m. Wednesday and was expected to fall below flooding levels by tonight, the weather service said. The river is said to be flooding when its flow reaches 35,000 feet per second.

"It appears the Kennebec has slowly started to recede," Higgins said. "We're still at flood stage (in Skowhegan), so I'm monitoring it and so is the town."

Homes and businesses prone to flooding in Augusta and Skowhegan were still dealing with water in their basements Wednesday afternoon, said Kelly Amoroso of the Kennebec County Emergency Management Agency.

"I don't think there's extensive damage," Amoroso said. "People with flooded basements will have to worry about cleanup and mold."

The Kennebec was still at 18.4 feet, which is about 6 feet over the flood stage in Augusta, she said.

The Moose River in Jackman, which was already running extremely high due to snow-melting warm temperatures last week, was starting to recede Wednesday afternoon. Higgins said ice stacked up against the girders on the Route 201 bridge in Jackman and water was running at a 40-year high.

"We were worried about the bridge," Higgins said. "We've managed to skate on that one as well."

The Sebasticook River is not expected to crest until today, but it should not exceed flood level, Higgins said.

Rivers and streams that did swell over their banks caused minor damage to roads in the area and flooded basements in Waterville, too.

Higgins was still awaiting final reports from many communities, but early reports indicated no major problems. Higgins was to take part in a conference call with community emergency-management leaders Wednesday evening.

There were at least a couple of roads in Palmyra that were washed out.

Route 152 in Pittsfield was closed for a time but reopened by Wednesday afternoon, Higgins said. The Sandy River Road in Norridgewock was still closed, however.

Three houses on Square Road in St. Albans were affected.

In Canaan, Black Stream overflowed its banks Tuesday, washing out a large culvert and going over Lambert Road, washing the road out also, said Fire Chief and Road Commissioner Ray Small.

"It's still running over the road today, it's still barricaded," Small said Wednesday. "We'll fix it in the morning when the water recedes."

Small said the water of a small tributary also flooded a section of Brown's Corner Road, but did no serious damage.

Clinton was repairing a couple of its roads on Wednesday, Amoroso said.

"We've been polling the town and it looks like there's no significant damage," she said.

In Aroostook County, The Maine Warden Service and local fire and police departments evacuated people nearby to two dams that are in danger of flooding.

An elderly couple in Soldier Pond had to be rescued by wardens using a tractor, said Deborah Turcotte, spokeswoman for the warden service.

The Maine Warden Service sent boats and wardens to the area to assist the rescue effort.

Wardens in St. John had to use an all-terrain-vehicle trail, with help from a potato farmer with a bucket loader and a logging contractor, to supply an elderly woman with medication, Turcotte said.

Wardens also rescued an elderly woman in St. Agatha whose house was threatened by rising water.

The National Weather Service is calling for cool temperatures over the next several days, but rain is not expected until Sunday evening. That should give central Maine rivers and streams time to fall back into their banks, Higgins said.

"Right now, we've been really lucky," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Craig Crosby -- 487-3288

ccrosby@centralmaine.com