Flooding, power outages in Stamford overnight
STAMFORD — The surprise force of Wednesday’s overnight storm will probably be the kind of story told years after the flood waters recede and everybody’s electricity is restored.
It was that kind of storm. The National Weather Service Thursday morning reported almost 7 inches of rain fell in parts of Stamford over the course of the storm — some of the highest levels in the state — causing extensive flooding all over the city and fueling driving delays. City Emergency Services Manager Trevor Roach told The Stamford Advocate that particularly high water levels were seen along Washington Boulevard and near the Rippowam River, which overflowed because of the rain.
At the Ridgeway Shopping Center’s parking lot, trash cans floated in the flood water at the height of the storm. Throughout the evening, cars plowed down the city’s major avenues, pushing waves as they made their way through the inundated roads.
Even the Woodside Fire House flooded on the first floor because of the rainfall, something Roach admitted he only remembers “happening once or twice beforehand” in about 30 years
serving Stamford.
Even the morning after, much of the downfall had yet to subside.
Because of the deluge of water, Roach said emergency responders spent much of Wednesday evening and Thursday morning rescuing people trapped in their vehicles because of the storm. Between 10:30 a.m. and 3 a.m., first responders rescued at least 10 people stuck in their cars, according to the Emergency Operations department.
A stretch of Farms Road washed away when the rushing water undercut the dirt beneath the pavement in an area under construction, causing the temporary pavement that was in place to collapse. The road, which extends across the border of Stamford into Greenwich, was expected to be closed for an extended period while the damage was assessed and repairs made.
The city announced in a statement Thursday afternoon that Ida caused at least 75 accidents citywide, most involving “vehicles that were damaged in the storm and need to be towed.” The Public Safety and Operations departments also recorded “upwards of 1,800 911 calls” in the 10-hour period surrounding the storm. Many of those calls resulted from both Greenwich and Darien’s 911 call centers being down.
On just the fourth day of classes, the weather forced Stamford Public Schools to implement a two-hour delay for students because of “localized flooding and street closures.”
Roach urged caution for motorists and travelers moving throughout Stamford early Thursday because of downed wires and other road disturbances.
“We lost a lot of manholes last night, so make sure (you) look for open manhole covers,” he said Thursday.
In New Canaan, local officials and town residents who had braced last week for massive disruptions that never materialized from Henri found out the effects of Ida were worse than they prepared for.
“We have about 184 people without power,” First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said Thursday morning. “We’ve never seen this kind of rain. I don’t know what the inches (count) was, but it was incredible.”
The first selectman said residents reported a number of flooded basements and flooded cars. Under the direction of the town’s emergency management director Russ Kimes and Department of Public Works head Tiger Mann, residents along Jelliff Mill Road were asked to evacuate because of their proximity to the Jelliff Mill Dam.
Still, Moynihan contended that New Canaan was not hit as “bad as surrounding towns” and cities such as Stamford and Darien and it was “not as bad as it could have been.”
The Emergency Operations Center was never opened in New Canaan, the first selectman said. Typically, that measure would be taken if there had been high winds.
In Darien, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson declared a local emergency for the town following the widespread flooding overnight into Thursday.
Early on Thursday, Stevenson reported on Twitter that the town had received 8.94 inches of rain over seven hours.
“Darien, along with communities across the tri-state region, is experiencing unprecedented flooding tonight,” Stevenson tweeted overnight. “Many roads are impassable making travel around town impossible. Stay off the roads so emergency workers can respond as needed.”
Darien Police announced on Twitter overnight that Tokeneke Road was closed in the area of Old Kings Highway South “due to roadway damage from the storm.”
Pictures filled social media of flooded streets and partially submerged cars.
Stevenson shared a picture of the Post Road underpass, saying she had never seen it this flooded before.
“A very bad night for many,” Stevenson said in one of her replies on Twitter. “Thank goodness no one hurt.”