Newtown received 10 inches of rain and Sandy Hook received 12.17 inches, as rivers overflowed, roads washed out, some homes were flooded and a few destroyed, and motorists became trapped in flooded vehicles over the course of Sunday, August 18, into the early hours of Monday, August 19.

By late Sunday afternoon, First Selectman Jeff Capeci declared a State of Emergency for Newtown due to continued flooding and sewer capacity issues. That declaration, he said the following afternoon, will allow the Town to secure state and federal aid. Capeci had been in touch, he said, with Governor Ned Lamont, State Representative Mitch Bolinsky and State Senator Tony Hwang, “who are mobilizing state resources to assist us.” Lamont also declared a state of emergency for the state.

Newtown Emergency Communications Center Director Maureen Will issued multiple CodeRED announcements on Sunday, warning recipients of the dangers of the rain and subsequent flooding. Will repeatedly asked people to remain at home or where they were, and to not drive into any standing water.

Those calling dispatch for help with flooding within their homes were cautioned that first responders would be dispatched to those locations only in the event of a life emergency.

As was noted on the Newtown Police Department Facebook page, “We only have resources for true emergency calls.”

One family did have a very close call on Sunday. Multiple agencies were sent to a home on South Main Street after a man became trapped in the basement there (see related story). The man was reportedly caught in up to six feet of water before first responders were able to rescue him.

Many roads quickly became impassable due to flooding and/or debris causing damage. First responders and Town officials were inundated with calls for help once homes and buildings became flooded.

Additionally, vehicles began getting stuck on roads after operators drove into water that was deeper than they realized. Botsford and Newtown Hook & Ladder firefighters, and Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR) members were among those called to the area of 220 South Main Street to perform multiple high water rescues after operators drove into high waters there. NUSAR, Botsford and Dodgingtown Fire were also dispatched to a water rescue near the area of South Main at Button Shop Road. NUSAR was also dispatched to assist with water rescues in Bridgewater and Redding on Sunday.

At daybreak Monday, multiple vehicles were still being fished out of streams, including a series of vehicles that had been washed to the north of South Main Street/Route 25 opposite Bryan Lane by the surging Pootatuck River.

An employee of Modzelewski’s Recovery & Repair told The Newtown Bee that by 8 am Monday, various Modzelewski’s crews working in Newtown, Southbury, Oxford, Redding and Weston had done “at least 100” vehicle rescues since the previous afternoon.

With heavy rains continuing, many residents began seeing unexpected water in their homes. By 5 pm Sunday, 28 calls for help pumping water out of homes all across town had been recorded by Newtown Emergency Communications Center. Dozens of similar calls were recorded on Monday and early Tuesday.

Amid those calls, first responders were still called on for “everyday” emergencies — medical assists, potential gas leaks, and car crashes also occurred during the storm.

Damaged Roads

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, 23 roads were closed and impassable due to structural damage/washouts: Currituck Road at Signal Post, Berkshire Road/Route 34 from Jordan Hill Road to the town line, Bradley Lane, Jordan Hill Road, Pond Brook Road, Great Ring Road at Sand Hill, Stony Brook, Mile Hill South, Sugar Loaf at Sherman Street, The Boulevard at Hall Lane, Taunton Lake Road, Meadow Brook at Huntingtown, Bennetts Bridge Road, Town End Road, New Lebbon Road, Lakeview Terrace Extension, Great Quarter near #77, South Main Street at Bryan Lane, Berkshire Road/Route 34 near #111, 100 Wasserman Way, High Bridge Road, Hattertown Road, and Turkey Hill Road.

Some roads were added and others removed as repairs were completed over the following few days, with South Main Street/Route 25 near 220 South Main Street and Berkshire/Route 34 at the Monroe line being major town arteries that remained closed into Monday morning. South Main Street was reopened by mid-Monday morning, after the water receded and the last of the vehicles removed from the area. One lane of Berkshire Road remained closed as of midday Wednesday, with DOT crews directing the alternating lanes of traffic.

Just over the town line, Roosevelt Drive/Route 34 at the Stevenson Dam had been completely washed out.

On Tuesday, Capeci reported that Great Quarter Road, Saw Mill Road, and Lakeview Terrace Extension had become accessible. Most of the town parks, fields, and recreational facilities suffered “minimal damage.”

Eichler’s Cove and Marina, however, “faced significant storm damage and the beach must remain closed for the rest of the season as Parks and Recreation staff focus on rebuilding, dredging, and preparing it for next year,” he stated in a midday update. Residents are asked to refrain from attempting to access Eichler’s Cove. Boat slip owners will receive a detailed email with specific instructions, according to the notice.

Capeci said he had a chance to meet with US Senator Richard Blumenthal on Monday, and that he showed photos of the damage to public infrastructure and private property to the senator. A Newtown resident facing potential total loss of property on South Main Street also had the opportunity to speak with the senator, who discussed possible federal assistance through FEMA disaster recovery.

Capeci also said that Rob Sibley, the town director of land use, is “documenting damage throughout the town to help us secure reimbursement for local expenditures.”

On Monday, Capeci reported in his announcement that 36 locations had been recognized as suffering “severe damage.”

“In four areas, residents are cut off, and Public Works is working on restoring their access to main roads,” the first selectman said.

“Making all roads passable again will take several days to weeks,” Capeci cautioned. “As damage is evaluated and we are better able to forecast repairs I will update you,” he promised.

Capeci is asking residents to allow Public Works and other Town employees to do their work undisturbed. They will be out, “assessing or repairing damage,” he said. “They are working long hours to make Newtown drivable again and deserve your patience.”

As of Monday morning, no fatalities or serious injuries had been reported in Newtown.

Washouts, Ruts And Mud

Ed Lundblad was among the Lakeview Terrace residents walking around, assessing damage to their homes and the neighborhood on Monday. Lundblad’s house had water coursing through it on Sunday, he said, leaving mud and other debris inside.

His waterfront property lost three of its retaining walls, and a deep crevice was dug into the southern area of his property.

Just east of his home, a combined crew of LRM Inc and Town Public Works employees was working to clear and then fill a gaping hole left in the road. Residents of at least six homes were trapped behind the washout until it could be filled.

Lakeview Terrace residents Gloria and Gary Milas were heading home early Sunday afternoon when the rain intensified. They attend church in Seymour and each had traveled out and back in separate vehicles. He was a few minutes ahead of her for the ride home.

“Around 1:30, he called me to tell me the roads were bad,” Gloria said Monday morning. “I was scared, I was almost crying,” she admitted. “The rain was so heavy and I couldn’t see very well.”

To get to their home, the Milases usually follow Bennetts Bridge until it becomes Lakeview Terrace. On Sunday, however, she made the decision to take Gelding Hill Road, which connects Bennetts Bridge to Lakeview Terrace, but circumvents the lowest sections of Bennetts Bridge and avoids a narrow bridge on a very tight corner.

“Gelding Hill was a much better choice,” she said. “There were two big dips I had to drive through, but after that the rest of the drive on Lakeview was fine.”

When they woke up Monday morning, the Milases were doubly glad they’d made it home the previous afternoon. Their driveway was gutted, with deep ruts that prevented most passenger vehicles from using it.

“I called out of work,” Gloria said mid-morning. “We were stuck because of our driveway.”

As they were assessing that damage, however, a stranger operating a Kubota mini excavator was en route toward the Lundblad residence. The driver stopped, offered his help, and within minutes the worst ruts were being filled in.

The Milases never even got the man’s name. As he was leaving their driveway, the couple saw a neighbor walking toward them.

“One neighbor came by with their kids, and another family came by with shovels,” she said. “People are stopping by and helping. They’re checking to see if we need anything. It’s been amazing.

“This,” she said, “is what makes things so nice in Newtown.”

Stevenson Dam

FirstLight, the owner of Stevenson Dam, which creates Lake Zoar, reported on August 21 that following the rain and associated flooding that impacted Southwestern Connecticut and the lower Housatonic River, “both man-made and natural debris made its way downstream and collected above the Stevenson Dam. Starting Thursday, August 22nd, FirstLight will begin a phased effort to safely address the debris field.

“Smaller woody debris that made it past the boat barrier will be sent over the Stevenson Dam in the coming days, beginning Thursday. Where it is safe to do so, FirstLight will remove large man-made and woody debris from Lake Lillinonah and Lake Zoar, and in coordination with the Town of Monroe, FirstLight will stockpile the recovered man-made debris like docks and water vessels at the former Monroe Town Beach just upstream of the Monroe Boat Launch. Affected residents will then be able to recover their belongings from that area.

“Those who recreate on Lake Housatonic, Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah should exercise extreme caution in the days and weeks ahead as debris makes its way downstream,” the statement noted.

The storm impacted areas well beyond Newtown. Among the hardest hit were Southbury, Oxford, and Seymour.

The CT Mirror reported that Oxford was one of the hardest hit municipalities in the region. In separate incidents, two women died after they were swept away Sunday evening as firefighters tried to rescue them from their vehicles, which were overtaken by floodwaters.

“Oxford got sucker-punched yesterday and taken out at the knees,” said State Senator Eric Berthel, who represents the region in the legislature.

“Our infrastructure is broken. Our main highway that runs through this town is broken. We have lost life. We have lost businesses,” Berthel added. “And we will need the full strength of the local, state and federal government to fix this beautiful town and to get it back running in the right direction again.”

Officials Seek FEMA Aid

On Tuesday, Governor Ned Lamont announced he had submitted a request to President Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) seeking a federal emergency declaration for Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield counties in response to the extreme flooding from the historic rainfall that portions of Connecticut received earlier this week.

The governor is requesting under such a declaration the support of direct federal assistance to supplement the state and its municipalities in meeting critical emergency protective requirements and providing restorative efforts that defend public safety. This includes a request for the US Army Corps of Engineers to provide support for the repairing of dozens of bridges, dams, and other infrastructure, as well as for the Environmental Protection Agency to provide support in response to the numerous oil tanks, propane cylinders, vehicles, vessels, and drums that are floating in multiple waterways. Additionally, the governor is also requesting assistance from the Federal Highway Administration for the numerous destroyed and compromised state roads.

Crews from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, with the support of their local counterparts, have been working since the immediate aftermath of the storm to assess, clean, and repair washouts on state roads where possible, as well as secure these areas to prevent further damage. The state agency has also begun the process of developing plans for repairing the severely damaged Route 34 so that it can be reopened in a timely manner, as well as for other structures that need to be replaced.

“This was an extreme amount of rainfall in an incredibly short period of time that resulted in historic levels of flooding in western Connecticut,” Lamont said. “Our state experienced two fatalities in which people were swept away from flood waters, and first responders bravely rescued and evacuated hundreds of people during and after the storm. Scores of state and local roads are washed away or compromised, dams and bridges have been affected, and oil tanks, vehicles, and other hazardous items were flooded into waterways. I appreciate President Biden and FEMA for considering this request to assist our state and municipalities with the immediate effort to protect public safety in the aftermath of this devastation.”

This request for a federal emergency declaration is not to be confused with a request for a FEMA major disaster declaration, which could provide federal funding to support homeowners, businesses, and local and state governments with financial assistance for the costs of repairing and rebuilding infrastructure damaged in the storm. That type of declaration requires the state and local governments to provide FEMA with a detailed accounting of all public and uninsured private property damage incurred as a direct result of the storm and a cost estimate that can determine whether certain thresholds have been met. That process typically takes several weeks to complete, and the Lamont administration is already working with municipalities to conduct it. Any homeowners and business owners who experienced damage to their property from this storm are strongly urged to contact their town’s local emergency management office as soon as possible so that their damages can be documented as part of this effort.

Also on Tuesday, State Senator Tony Hwang joined Lamont, Blumenthal, State Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding, Berthel, DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes, DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, and many other stakeholders to update impacted communities on the weekend’s severe storms. At a press conference that day, Hwang made a strong call for a federal declaration of emergency across impacted towns to allow federal emergency funds to be directed toward repairs of roads, bridges, and other key infrastructure.

“I saw firsthand the destruction and devastation this weekend’s storms wreaked on Newtown and nearby communities,” he said.

My deepest condolences go out to the families of the two women lost to the storm’s flooding. I was moved by the immediacy with which neighbors sprung into action to help their fellow residents who were impacted. This community has really come together in the last few days,” Hwang remarked. “I am working with all necessary stakeholders, including federal officials, to acquire necessary emergency funding to help heal our communities. Roadways used by thousands to commute and go about everyday errands have been severely affected, resulting in long detours and deleterious impacts on local businesses. A swift response is needed.”

Hwang surveyed the damage in Newtown with local first responders and elected officials. During a visit to The Newtown Bee office on Monday, Hwang pulled up photos on his cell phone. “There is a car in Lake Lillinonah,” he said incredulously. “A car!”

Witnessing the most severe damage firsthand, he committed to a robust storm response, coordinating with state and federal officials to ensure all necessary resources are allocated for community repair. He specifically noted the swift action needed to repair major travel routes in Newtown such as State Routes 25, 6 and 34.

While Hwang said he is doing everything in his power to ensure a swift storm response, he also offered some long-term solutions to address these climate events. Hwang has long been a proponent of increased funding for storm resilience in at-risk communities. Storms have become more intense, and more frequent in recent years as the climate has changed, bringing costly damage. Funds could be used to implement bioswales, reinforce structures against flooding, provide augmented storm warning services, and much more.

=====

Managing Editor Shannon Hicks contributed to this story.

Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.