Jessica Bravo
Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
(TNS)
Aug. 18—Parts of southwestern Connecticut are dealing with flooding amid thunderstorms that have prompted flash flood warnings, road closures and evacuations Sunday.
In Oxford, fire officials said two people were swept into Little River on Sunday. The area were they were last seen was too flooded to access, and so they have not been located.
Also in Oxford, about 50 campers became stranded in Kettletown State Park when the walking and road bridges into the camping area were washed away. Will Healey, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said nobody was in immediate danger and officials were working on a plan to evacuate them.
Around the same time, Route 34 near Loughlin Road was totally washed away by floodwaters.
Oxford First Selectman George Temple warned residents to stay in their homes in a Code Red Message on Sunday evening.
“This is not the time to venture out for any reason the town is experiencing significant flooding, mudslides and other hazardous conditions,” he said. “The Public Works Department along with the Fire Department and First Responders are actively working to mitigate the damage. However, many areas are severely impacted and several of police cars are underwater. Please refrain from requesting emergency services unless it’s absolutely necessary as resources are currently stretched thin.”
In Monroe, guests at a large event at the Waterview had to be evacuated because flooding on Lake Zoar started to erode and wash away land behind the building. Fire officials said everyone got off the property safely, and called the area “a disaster zone.”
Monroe officials said no injuries had been reported yet as of Sunday evening, but there have been multiple rescues of town residents.
First Selectman Terry Rooney said the water pressure from Sunday’s rainfall collapsed roads, destroyed homes and knocked out power. He said the rainfall totaled about 10 to 11 inches of rain over a few hours in the mid-afternoon, which veteran town officials and emergency responders can’t remember ever happening in their Monroe careers.
“Overall in my history of being in this town, the most extreme damage I have ever seen,” Rooney said.
Rooney said flooding had locked some residents into their houses, and heavy equipment like excavators allowed emergency responders to carry them to safety. He said the police station is open for any locals in need of shelter. He said Shelton, Trumbull, Fairfield and Norwalk supplied additional manpower to handle the emergency situation in town.
“When you get torrential downpours, when you see 10 inches of rain, which is what I’ve been hearing, in a couple of hours, the ground does not absorb it. And that rain will flow, and it just destroys everything in its path,” he said.
Rooney said the town plans to speak with Gov. Ned Lamont and the Federal Emergency Management Agency after assessing the damage. He said he doesn’t have a timeline for the repair and rebuild process yet.
“We will do it as quickly as possible,” he said. “That’s for sure.”
Bill Phillips, the deputy director of Monroe Public Works, said several roads have partially collapsed as water rushed down from the Stevenson neighborhood, which has an elevation about 100 feet higher than the rest of town. He said Jays Road, Route 34, Cottage Street, Turkey Roost Road and Josies Ring Road each had 50 to 75 feet of roadway overtaken and washed out by floodwaters.
In Southbury, police officials said multiple roads in town are flooded due to heavy rainfall.
“We are advising residents to stay in their homes if at all possible,” they said. “Also, please be advised that emergency responders will only be dispatched for residential flooding that presents an immediate risk to safety. Crews are working around town, responding to emergencies and road closures.”
Southbury police said the closed roads included Main Street North at Main Street South, Route 172 at Winmar Drive, Route 172 at the Southbury Training School, parts of Luna Trail near Georges Hill and Spruce Brook Road at New Road.
Patrons at the Panera Bread on Main Street in Southbury were stranded for hours Sunday afternoon. The occupants of at least three vehicles had to be rescued by Good Samaritans at the plaza where the restaurant is located.
In Newtown, officials declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon because of the flooding due to “dangerous roadway as well as public health (sewers) concers and conditions.”
Town officials said nearly 20 roads in town were closed.
In Naugatuck, Mayor Pete Hess told residents to stay home, adding multiple roads were closed. He said people are driving on the streets and splashing rescuers, who are in three feet of water and trying to dig out storm drains.
Stamford fire officials reported at 11:10 a.m. that people needed to rescued from submerged vehicles that were trapped in flood waters in the area of Jefferson Street and Harborview Avenue. The department added the area was closed due to flooding, and they did not know when it would be reopened.
Heavy rain also resulted in a car being submerged by flooding in the area of Pumping Station Road and Magee Avenue in Stamford.
Danbury spokesperson Erin Henry said Shelter Rock Road, White Street, West Street, Main Street at Wooster Street, and Osborne Street at Fifth Street were closed because flooding had created dangerous driving conditions. Newtown Road also had severe flooding.
“At this time we are asking motorists to stay off the roads if possible,” she said.
Henry said emergency and utility crews were at the scene of a mud slide at 160 Shelter Rock Road. She said the building had been evacuated.
According to the NWS, the mudslide caused a gas leak and the Woodland Hills complex was evacuated.
Also being evacuated because of flooding were the Glen Apartments on Main Street, Henry said.
In Redding, officials said in a post on Facebook that there was severe flooding around town. They said there were stalled cars on Umpawaug Road and Route 107 because of high water.
Officials said the area around the intersection of Route 57, Main Street, Portland Avenue and Route 107 was also flooded, and the Branchville train tracks were underwater.
Later, Redding officials said part of the road washed out through the causeway in the area of Route 53 and Newtown Turnpike.
Stamford police officials said they were in the process of barricading multiple locations on Sunday afternoon because of flooding on the roadways.
“Please do not drive through the flood waters as it is hard to determine how deep the water is, manhole covers are becoming displaced, and cars are continuing to get stuck in the water,” they said.
On Interstate 84 in Newtown, emergency vehicles, including trucks hauling inflatable boats, could be seen heading east around 5:30 p.m.
In Danbury, a woman’s vehicle stalled in an area with heavy flooding on Bristol Street, according to Deputy Fire Chief Steve Ayotte. She was able to get out of the vehicle to safety, he said, but the vehicle is still there.
Ayotte said firefighters have been running from call to call all day because of flooding calls. He said they were mostly calls such as basements flooding and the water getting near electrical boxes, but noted they also had to go to Southbury to provide mutual aid.
As of about 6 p.m., Ayotte said the calls for service were just starting to slow down.
Darien police said flooding has forced road closures at numerous points along the Post Road.
“The following roads closed to flooding: Post Rd at the railroad underpass, Post Rd between Hecker Ave and Ledge Rd, Mechanic St, Sedgwick Ave at Mechanic Street,” Darien police wrote in a social media post.
“Do not attempt to drive through flooded areas,” police added.
Norwalk police Deputy Chief Joseph Dinho said Water Street and a section of MLK Drive near Monroe Street were the only roads closed due to flooding as of noon on Sunday.
“There was a tree down earlier on Granite Drive, but this has been cleared, no injuries thank God, and no involved wires,” Dinho said.
Danbury spokesperson Erin Henry said four roads are currently closed from flooding, as of 12:45 p.m. Sunday: White Street, West Street, Main Street at Wooster Street and Osborne Street at Fifth Street.
Henry added that a public safety personnel is currently assisting motorists on Osborne Street “that drove through high water conditions. No injuries were reported, according to Henry.
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for Fairfield and New Haven counties on Sunday morning as thunderstorms and showers bore down on the state.
The weather service issued flash flood warnings, effective until 1:30 p.m. Sunday, as thunderstorms descended on the area. Forecasters estimated that between 1 and 3 inches of rain have already fallen as a result of the storm. They added that they expect about 1 to 1.5 inches of rain per hour during the storm,
“Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly,” the weather service said as of 9:26 a.m. Sunday.
Litchfield and Fairfield counties were both under a flood watch, in effect until Sunday night, according to the weather service.
In addition, a coastal flood warning was issued for the southern part of Fairfield county from 10 p.m. on Sunday until 1 a.m. on Monday, the weather service said.
The weather service said that most of the day would be rainy, and thunderstorms could occur before 2 p.m. and possibly after 3 p.m. The likelihood of the state receiving rain was at 70 percent, the NWS added. Though predicted “rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch,” more rainfall could accumulate in the event of thunderstorms, the weather service said.
In the mid-afternoon, the weather service’s Boston office said that there could be “some peeks of sunshine” amid the “considerable clouds on Sunday.”
The high temperature is expected to peak just below or near 80 degrees, and winds should be no stronger than 11 mph for much of the day, NWS said. In the night hours, the low could dip to 68 degrees.
The weather service said that more rainfall is expected throughout the night hours, and fog may develop into Monday morning. The agency said that the patchy fog should be cleared by 11 a.m., but the rest of Monday will likely be cloudy and rainy, with chances of thunderstorms, again.
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