Iconic fishing shacks in Portland, Maine, destroyed as coast sees historic water levels

Iconic fishing shacks in Portland, Maine, were washed away on Saturday, as the coast saw record water levels.

Iconic fishing shacks in Portland, Maine, were washed away on Saturday when the coast saw record water levels, as storms sweep across the country.

Water levels at the Portland tide gauge set a new record just after noon, surpassing the previous record set in 1978. The gauge registered 14.57 feet MLLW (mean lower low water), breaking the record of 14.17 feet MLLW set at that location on Feb. 7, 1978. Records at the Portland gauge extend back to 1912.

Amid the flooding threat, all three fishing shacks at Willard Beach were "completely destroyed" in the storm, the city of South Portland said in a Facebook post Saturday afternoon.

Work had been ongoing in recent years to preserve the historic shacks, which were the only three remaining from the region's fishing heyday during the 1800s.