Flooding in CT: Cleanup begins after torrential rain leaves deadly trail of destruction
Connecticut catastrophic flooding leaves 2 dead
Two people are dead in Connecticut after catastrophic flooding destroyed roads and bridges and trapped terrified residents as rapidly rising water cut off escape routes. Gov. Ned Lamont has also issued a state of emergency. FOX 5 NY’s Antwan Lewis has the latest.
CONNECTICUT - The torrential rain that led to catastrophic and deadly flooding in portions of Connecticut over the weekend has come to an end, and now the cleanup efforts are underway to inspect infrastructure and remove debris from damaged roadways and bridges.
JUMP TO: MONROE l SOUTHBURY l OXFORD
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared a statewide emergency after Sunday's historic flooding in western Connecticut.
"The sudden and severe flooding has caused significant damage to infrastructure in the western portion of the state, resulting in evacuations, rescues, and more than two dozen road closures that we anticipate will need to be closed for an extended period," Lamont said.
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The flooding has claimed at least two lives as of Monday afternoon. Connecticut State Emergency Management Director William Turner said two individuals were reported missing in Oxford after their vehicles were swept away. The bodies of both women were recovered on Monday from the Little River.
While flooding was reported in communities along the Interstate 95 corridor, like Stamford, many rural communities took the brunt of the devastation.
Monroe CT flooding
"The heaviest rains really seems to set up from Monroe up into Beacon Falls, and definitely some more rural parts of the state, but away from our major highways like I-95 and I-84" Turner said. "But nonetheless, we still have extensive damage to a lot of state roads and local roads that we’re out there assessing now to determine the impacts and to see what we’ll need to do to get them reopened."
The dangerous situation began to unfold earlier in the day Sunday as heavy precipitation continued to fall over the same areas of western and southern Connecticut for hours.
Top rain totals. (FOX Weather)
The National Weather Service issued a rare Flash Flood Emergency for the area as the deluge continued, and many towns in the region reported blockbuster rainfall totals.
Flooding in Southbury CT
Significant damage from the widespread flash flooding led to the declaration of local states of emergency in the towns of Southbury and Naugatuck.
Officials in Southbury said numerous roads in town were compromised by the flooding, and drivers were being urged to stay home until conditions improved.
Dramatic videos from Southbury showed several vehicles stranded in the rapidly rising water near a shopping plaza while a firefighter tried desperately to unclog a storm drain.
Another dramatic video from Southbury showed a stranded motorist and a dog being rescued after their vehicle became stranded in the rising water.
Naugatuck Mayor Pete Hess announced that he, too, declared a local state of emergency due to the flooding.
"Just because the rain stopped for a little while, this doesn’t mean that you can go drive around," Hess said in a Facebook post. "Many roads are closed. Other roads are impassible. Do not go out and drive."
Flooding in Oxford CT
The town of Oxford was also hard hit by the flooding, with several bridges and roads either destroyed by the rushing water or covered with rocks and other debris.
Many local officials described seeing the Little River become a raging river over a matter of hours.
"I don't think our town is used to flash floods and, you know, a lot of people did the absolute wrong thing, which was try to drive through without knowing what was on the other side," Oxford First Selectman George Campbell said. "Many of us who worked all day and night were struck by the power of the raging Little River. And, you know, you think a name like Little River wouldn't be that bad."
The water has since started to recede, but Griffin said that she has been noticing more and more pavement falling away.
FOX Weather's Steven Yablonski and Emilee Speck helped contribute to this report.