by Lisa Prevost for Energy News Network
DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes provides an update on the state’s dams, which she said were all holding up against Sunday’s deluge of water
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Gov. Ned Lamont met Monday with local, state, and federal leaders in Oxford – the town hardest hit by Sunday’s devastating rain and flash flooding – and said he had declared an emergency to get the ball rolling for federal help with recovery efforts.
Meteorologists said Sunday’s rainfall in southwestern Connecticut ranged from 6 inches to an astounding 12 inches or more in some towns over the course of the afternoon, causing floodwaters to rise startlingly fast. Oxford and Newtown each reportedly got over 12 inches of rain.
Over 100 people needed to be evacuated or rescued from floodwaters. The deaths of the two women occurred in separate incidents as Route 67 was flooded, according to Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pellitier, who also serves as the town’s emergency services coordinator. He said both women were swept away as firefighters were attempting to reach them.
The first woman died in the early afternoon.
Firefighters were attempting to get the victim from her vehicle when the river surged, Pelletier said.
“The vehicle shifted. The firefighter fell down. The victim fell down, got swept down the river,” Pelletier said. “A second firefighter trying to attempt that rescue went down. The other firefighters removed them from the water and got them to safety. One of them was treated for some minor injuries and is OK today.”
The other woman was swept away later in the afternoon.
“The second victim was in a vehicle, climbed out, and tried crossing the water,” Pellitier said. “[She] made it to a sign, and was hanging onto the sign. Firefighters were in there with a high-wheeled vehicle trying to get to her, and the racing water was too much for her and she got swept away.”
The women’s bodies were recovered today. State Police identified them as Ethelyn Joiner, 65, and Audrey Rostkowski, 71, both of Oxford.
The storm was not forecasted to be as severe as it was and didn’t feature much wind. But it stalled over southwestern Connecticut, which is a rocky, hilly area with numerous rivers and streams winding through valleys and gullies. Over an 8-hour period, roughly 10 inches of rain fell. Rivers overflowed, washing out bridges and major roadways. In all, 27 roads had impassable sections following the storm, including three major state roads: Route 67, Route 34, and Route 188.
Officials said they don’t know when the state routes would reopen.
Oxford First Selectman George S. Temple speaks to reporters on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, about the town’s storm response on Sunday. Credit: Screengrab / CT-N
Asked if they’d received enough warning during Monday’s news conference at Oxford Town Hall, First Selectman George Temple said the town was taken by surprise.
“Well, I don’t think there was enough advanced notice,” Temple said, but he added that “Every year we get probably 30 of these flash-flood warnings, and as a result most people ignore them. And, you know, this didn’t seem like any different than any others. As soon as I was aware that it was going to be a problem, though, you know, we went out and fought it. The firemen were out there.”
He continued: “It just came upon us like lightning. You know, as you said, six inches an hour. That’s not expected here.”
State Rep. David Labriola and Sen. Eric Berthel both spoke briefly about the devastation.
“I can tell you that the people of Oxford – we’re hurting and our hearts are breaking,” Labriola said. “So we need a lot of help and we’re just really moved by the response by the governor, by our senator, the federal and state authorities, our agencies, our commissioners who are here and their staff and we’re just so pleased and thankful for all the good work that they’ve already begun because we need it. We need it now and we’re going to need it for the next few weeks and months ahead.”
Berthel reminded reporters that the worst flood in the state’s history occurred the on the same day 69 years ago Sunday – Aug. 18, 1955. That was the day Hurricane Diane struck the state only a week after Hurricane Connie had also dumped heavy rain on the area. According to the National Weather Service, Diane dumped rainfall totals of up to 12 inches on Connecticut, causing 77 fatalities along with hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
Berthel said he was thrilled to see the state’s federal delegation in town, and he thanked Gov. Lamont for interrupting his vacation to help with the recovery.
“I had a conversation with the governor. We have an agreement, if you will, that the state will provide through its agencies all of the resources we need to get Oxford back on its feet,” Berthel said. “Oxford got sucker-punched yesterday and then taken out at the knees. Our infrastructure is broken. Our main highway that runs through this town is broken. We have a loss of life. We have a loss of businesses. We have people that have had significant damage to their homes.”
He continued: “We will need the full strength of the local government and the state government and the federal government to fix this beautiful town and get it back running in the right direction again.”
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont talks about the teamwork involved with storm response during a news conference Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, following the rain and flash flooding on Sunday. Credit: Screengrab / CT-N
Lamont said the emergency declaration had been filed, and that started into motion the process of applying for aid from FEMA.
“So here we are again,” Lamont said, referring to previous news conferences following weather disasters. “And as Eric said, yesterday, ironically, it was the 69th anniversary of terrible flooding right here that devastated our towns. The Little River became a big river. And it is happening with more and more frequency.”
Lamont referred back to a reporter’s earlier question: “Did we do enough in terms of this warning? All I can say is I’ve been through a few of these. You know, weather predicting is not an exact science.” He added that in this case, he thought the National Weather Service did a pretty good job.
“You never know whether it’s going to be six inches over three hours or six inches every hour for two and a half hours,” Lamont said. “And this was as severe a storm as we can remember. These rain bombs are sudden and they drop hard.”
Lamont said emergency text messages went out to all the residents of the local communities but he said he knew that text messages don’t work for everybody.
“But I think the response was pretty good,” Lamont said. “But you know what we do now? We debrief and see how we can do it better next time.”
Turn Around And Do Not Drown
Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto and State Police Col. Daniel Lockman each urged pedestrians and motorists to stay away from roadways or parts of roadways that are marked with cones, barrels, or tape. They also said do not try to drive on a road covered with floodwater.
Eucalitto said a road may look fine, but it could be washed out underneath, and the pavement could collapse under the wait of a vehicle or a person. He said the barrels, cones, and tape are there for a reason.
“Turn around and do not drown,” Lockman said.
• A rescuer from the state’s Urban Search and Rescue Team prepares to place 2-year-old Juliana Borino in a boat to get her off Jackson Cove in Oxford late Sunday.