Heartbreaking Photos Show the Absolute Destruction of This Flooded Maine Hannaford

In the aftermath of any major weather event, the devastation that is left behind can oftentimes be unfathomable.

For one Gardiner, Maine, grocery store, that is exactly what happened.

As the Kennebec River breached her banks on Monday night, the ice-cold angry water flowed into towns, buildings and streets all across Central Maine.

Some of the worst damage we have seen thus far, however, is coming from the longtime Gardiner Hannaford.

The Gardiner Hannaford, previously Shop N' Save, and Cottles before that, is no stranger to flooded aisles.

Some of, you who are old enough to remember, will recall when crews were literally canoeing through the store following the flood of 1987.

Earlier this week, we saw two Maine men canoeing and fishing in the same parking lot.

Today, from a heartbroken member of our community, we received photos of absolute devastation from inside the store.

The scenes from inside Hannaford show just how dramatically high the Kennebec River rose this week. With the aisles still partially flooded, food and other products can be seen scattered all around the building.

The person who submitted these photos, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that they have no idea how long the store will be closed while they clean up and repair the building, but that they thought it would be 'indefinite'.

We're Mainers, and we're resilient, but to see one of our most beloved and longtime grocery stores who is a pillar of our local communities suffering such devastation... well... frankly, it just sucks.

We know that Hannaford is strong and they will certainly overcome this tragedy. But in the meantime, our hearts ache for employees who will certainly lose hours, and with it, money.

We also know that employees of many businesses around the state will undoubtedly feel the negative financial impacts of this storm. As bad weather increases working hours for some, it decreases hours for thousands more.

Our thoughts go out to ALL the hardworking men and women at the Gardiner Hannaford during this obviously difficult time in the company's history.