Store manager thinks it's a joke I certainly do remember the flood of '87', with all of the heartache and devastation that many Winslow and Waterville area people will never forget. On April 1, I was the store manager for LaVerdiere's Drug Store in Winslow. I was scheduled to go in at noon that day. At 8 a.m. I received a telephone call from Sheila Rideout, the assistant manager. She wanted me to come to the store as quickly as possible because the water was rising very rapidly in the area and she was very concerned merchandise would have to be moved to a higher level.

Almost everyone in this low-lying area of Winslow ( Lithgow-Bay St.) are accustomed to possible flooding each spring, but up to March 31st the probability of any major flooding did not seem likely. This being April Fool's Day, I wasn't about to fall for this exaggerated story and reassured her that she could handle the problem herself.

Sheila was an excellent assistant manager and very efficient. However, she would on occasion play a trick on her co-workers, so the timing couldn't have been better. The next phone call was from Don Deschaine, director of store operations for LaVerdiere's. He advised me in no uncertain terms that I had better get to the store as quickly as possible.

What usually was a 10-minute drive became an hour of detours and wash-outs. The Sebasticook Bridge was under water, as was part of the River Road in Benton. When I finally reached the store, the parking lot was completely under water. Several LaVerdiere's employees were frantically elevating merchandise, but it soon became apparent that the water was rising too fast and we were instructed by officials to quickly find higher ground.

As we were leaving the area, Bill Pleau, his employees and several volunteers were still loading trucks, trying to save as much merchandise as possible from his store. The high water mark reached 8 feet inside the store, resulting in the loss of all merchandise. That was an April 1st that many of us won't soon forget.

Lucien Veilleux