Parts of southwestern Connecticut have been hit by severe flooding from as much as 10 inches of rain, and at least two people were confirmed dead, authorities said.
In western New Haven County, authorities recovered the bodies of two women who had been reported missing after they were swept away by floodwaters in the town of Oxford.
Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency in response to the significant flooding. More than two dozen roads have been closed and officials anticipate they'll remain shut down for an extended period, Lamont said.
“It's just a reminder that we have to hang together at a time like this,” the governor said.
'The raging Little River'
The two women who died in Oxford were stranded in separate cars along the Little River, Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pelletier said at a news conference with other local and state officials.
Firefighters were trying to get the first woman out of her car when a rush of water swept her away, he said. The second woman got out of her car and made it to a roadside sign that she tried to cling to, but “the racing water was too much” and swept her away, too, Pelletier said.
Authorities identified the women as Audrey Rostkowski, 71, and Ethelyn Joiner, 65. Both were Oxford residents.
First Selectman George Temple called it "a tragic and devastating day for Oxford."
“Many of us who worked all day and night were struck by the power of the raging Little River,” Temple said. “You think a name like Little River wouldn’t be that bad.”
The flash flooding damaged roads across Oxford, including one that was “caved in and thrown apart,” Temple said. The storms resulted in several businesses being damaged and vehicles wrecked after being submerged in floodwaters.
And it led to people being stranded. Eighteen people were rescued from a restaurant in Oxford by firefighters who stretched a ladder across the floodwaters to reach them.
The water was “literally enveloping this whole restaurant,” said Jeremy Rodorigo, a firefighter from the neighboring town of Beacon Falls. “And we were worried about the structural integrity of the restaurant because there were literally cars floating by and large objects hitting the building.”
But Temple noted that in the middle of some of Oxford's darkest moments, people were wanting to help. He said many residents called town officials and offered their assistance — support the town will lean on in coming weeks and months as Oxford cleans up the mess and rebuilds.
“We will overcome this in Oxford and we will build better than ever because we’re Oxford tough,” Temple said.
'They were looking for bodies'
In nearby Seymour, Richard Webb was pumping out his flooded basement Monday morning and recalled police searching his neighborhood for flood victims the day before.
"They were out here looking for bodies," Webb said. "All these fire trucks and stuff. And it’s like, everybody’s looking — what are you looking for? And, unfortunately, someone fell in."
Officials said more than 100 people were evacuated by search and rescue teams around the state as of Sunday evening.
Webb said he was lucky; the storm only pushed about 4 inches of water into his basement.
"There’s a guy across the street that had 4 feet," he said.
Campers rescued from state park
Dozens of campers were rescued late Sunday after being stranded at a state park due to a washed-out bridge. Officials said they were safe.
The bridge leading to Kettletown State Park in Southbury collapsed under the flooding, causing the evacuation of about 45 people from the park’s campsite.
Phil Testa was one of the evacuees. He said Monday that he is currently homeless and was forced to leave all his belongings behind.
“It was Southbury, Oxford, and I think there's four other boat crews that were there, the rescue water teams, and they ended up having to take all of us out by boat,” Testa said.
Testa and the other campers were shuttled across the rushing flood water in the middle of the night.
Jasmin Franjul with the Red Cross said they’re providing shelter, food, hygiene products and mental health support.
“As long as you know it's needed, we hope to be here to provide the shelter, and the resources,” Franjul said.
Testa said he’s unable to leave the area until he can retrieve his truck and possessions from Kettletown. He does not know where he will go next.
CT governor declares emergency as bridges down, roads wiped out
In Oxford, the storm wiped out a bridge close to the home of Emily Gagnon, pulling a tree into rushing floodwaters and knocking out her power.
"The water just got stronger and stronger and kind of took it out," Gagnon said. "All of the trees and wires and everything got swept into the river as well, which pulled down the wires in our front yard. And it was a live wire — so it was on fire next to our garbage cans in the front yard."
Gagnon said her family has seen severe weather at their home before — including a tornado — but nothing on this scale.
In his emergency declaration, Lamont said the flooding caused significant damage to infrastructure in the western part of the state.
"I strongly encourage anyone in the western area of the state to stay alert for updates before traveling and do not attempt to drive through any flooded roads," Lamont said.
'The first like this in a very long time'
Storms dropped as much as 12 inches of rain on parts of southwestern Connecticut. The town of Oxford reportedly got 16 inches of rain. The National Weather Service had declared a flash flood warning Sunday night for southwestern Connecticut and other parts of the state.
William Syrett, a professor of meteorology and atmospheric science at Penn State University, referred to the storm system as “training thunderstorms.”
“It’s like each thunderstorm is a car on a train track, and so they just keep going over the same place,” he said.
Weather officials say the flooding was unrelated to Hurricane Ernesto. Syrett cited “perfect conditions” for the storms, thanks to the amount of moisture in the air and a slow weather system.
In Fairfield County, Laura Nelson of Redding jogged by a collapsed guardrail passing over a stream, on Old Stagecoach Road, just hours after the street flooded.
She said it has been quite a while since she has seen a storm this bad.
“We haven't seen a flood like this in at least 13, 14 years,” Nelson said. “So this was the first like this in a very long time.’”
This story has been updated. Connecticut Public's Eddy Martinez, Patrick Skahill and Eric Aasen and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
