In Oxford, Connecticut officials predict ‘long recovery’ from flooding

Connecticut authorities said several small towns were badly damaged by heavy rains that lashed the southwestern part of the state on Sunday, flooding homes, covering roads and killing two people who were swept away by the torrential downpour.

Gov. Ned Lamont and members of his administration said floodwaters had receded Monday, but damage from the downpours that lasted more than a day could take weeks or months to fully recover.

Hundreds of public sector workers were on hand Monday to assess the condition of public and private dams in the region, provide support to local emergency management officials and inspect state roads, 27 of which were closed due to washed-out surfaces or damaged bridges.

“It’s going to be a long recovery,” said Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation.

Up to 10 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in the region around Newtown, Seymour and Middlebury, according to the National Weather Service.

Flood damage in a church car park in Oxford. Loan: Tabius McCoy / CT Mirror

According to data from the federal river gauge, heavy rainfall caused many rivers to burst their banks and the level of several rivers reached near historic levels.

Lamont said his administration has already asked the federal government to declare a disaster, a necessary step in order to receive federal aid from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said he and the rest of Connecticut’s congressional delegation will fight to have this weekend’s flooding declared a federal disaster. He said it is the federal government’s “obligation” to do so.

“We’re going to seek federal assistance. They’re entitled to it. These communities have been impacted,” said Blumenthal, who spent Monday morning talking to people at flooded businesses in Seymour.

Blumenthal, Lamont and several local lawmakers gathered in the small town of Oxford for a news conference after assessing the damage caused by what one state official called “unprecedented flooding.”

Oxford was one of the worst-hit boroughs in the region, where two women died on Sunday evening when firefighters tried to rescue them from floodwaters in their vehicles.

The interior of a homeowner’s garage in Oxford, Connecticut, after flooding on Sunday. Loan: Tabius McCoy / CT Mirror

“Oxford got its ass kicked yesterday and it got its knees kicked,” said state Sen. Eric Berthel, who represents the region in the legislature.

“Our infrastructure is broken. Our main highway that runs through this city is broken. We’ve lost lives. We’ve lost businesses,” Berthel added. “And we’re going to need the full force of local, state and federal government to fix this beautiful city and get it back on track.”

Oxford City Council leader George Temple said water from the Little River quickly flooded parts of the city and eventually trapped many people in their vehicles.

“It hit us like a bolt from the blue,” he said.

Lamont and members of his administration have stressed that heavy rains like the ones we experienced over the weekend are becoming more frequent as the atmosphere warms.

Scientific studies show that the warmer the atmosphere becomes, the more water vapor it can hold, which can increase the likelihood of heavy rain. Some scientists have coined the term “rain bomb” to describe such events.

Connecticut needs to plan for the future to address increasing weather events, according to Katie Dykes, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

At the news conference, Dykes touted recent funding that has helped local municipalities in Connecticut plan how to adapt to a changing climate. She also highlighted that another $75 million will soon be available through her agency’s Climate Resilience Fund, which helps cities and towns plan for needed infrastructure upgrades.

These measures should help protect homes, businesses, government infrastructure and lives during future storms, Lamont said.