LOCAL/REGION
Ida causes ‘historic flooding’ in Greenwich, first selectman says.
GREENWICH — A massive overnight storm battered Greenwich, stranding motorists, forcing the evacuation of a local nursing home, closing major roads and leaving many homeowners with 10 feet of water in their basements.
Emergency workers and repair crews spent Thursday cleaning up the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which dumped 6 inches of rain or more on Greenwich and pushed the town’s first responders to the limit.
“Things are settling down now,” Deputy Fire Chief Tom Zack said as a clear blue sky replaced the dense thunderhead clouds that unleashed torrential rain hour after hour on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday morning.
“But that was a powerful, powerful storm,” Zack said.
First Selectman Fred Camillo said was consulting with the town’s legal department and expected to declare a state of emergency in Greenwich on Friday morning.
The declaration, Camillo said, would follow in the wake of Gov. Ned Lamont’s declaration of a state of emergency for Connecticut. It could make the town as well as its residents eligible for funds to help repair damage or cover other losses from the storm.
“A lot of people were devastated by this storm,” Camillo said late Thursday afternoon. “In the Byram area, we had 8 inches of rain in nine hours. That’s unprecedented. That’s a lot of damage. Some people lost everything in their basements and their garages due to flooding.”
Camillo also praised the police, fire, Greenwich Emergency Medical Service, Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works, whose crews worked throughout the night in the storm.
At about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Regal Care rehabilitation center on King Street was without power and was forced to evacuate, Camillo said. GEMS transported 46 patients, taking 44 to the nearby Greenwich Woods skilled nursing center and two to Greenwich Hospital to receive medical care.
Representatives for Regal Care could not be reached for comment. “Excessive water” at the facility prompted the move to evacuate, Zack said.
The assisted care facility was also experiencing significant leaks in the roof and flooding within patient areas, officials said. Greenwich police and fire, GEMS, Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Transportation Association of Greenwich responded to help.
The transfers were handled safely, Camillo said, and once it was safe to go back to the privately run facility, the patients would return.
Stranded drivers
Firefighters made “numerous” rescues that involved stranded motorists, “some with water up to the dashboard,” Zack said. The storm waters came up so quickly, drivers got stuck before they could take evasive action, he said.
Also, many homeowners called about flooded basements, with water 10 to 15 feet deep “and above the electrical panels,” Zack said. The fire department received over 200 calls for help, and at the height of the storm Thursday morning, had to prioritize calls that involved public safety, he said.
While every part of town took a hit from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, Byram and neighborhoods along the Byram River were particularly impacted, officials said.
A large dock in the Byram River broke loose, according to police, resulting in significant damage to a number of boats.
About 550 residents and businesses were without power Thursday morning, with about 380 still in the dark by late afternoon, according to Eversource. No major fires or injuries were reported.
The police department said it responded to 355 calls for service, including seven medical calls.
“There were a lot of emergencies,” Capt. Mark Zuccerella said. “We were pulling people out of cars left and right, and getting people out of flooded areas. Our officers were waist-high, chest-high, in water.”
A number of people who were pulled from stranded cars, or flooded homes, were temporarily sheltered in the Public Safety Complex in central Greenwich until they could secure transportation or alternate accommodations from the Red Cross.
The 911 emergency-call system was so overloaded that the calls “rolled over” to neighboring towns, Zuccerella said. Greenwich dispatchers also took calls from other towns in the region as well, as part of the communications backup plan in region.
Flash flooding
According to Camillo, between 4 and 7 inches of rain fell throughout town during the storm, with as much as 8 inches in the Byram River in just under nine hours. According to the National Weather Service, 7.65 inches of rain was recorded in Greenwich and 5.72 inches in Old Greenwich.
“These flash flood events when you have so much rain in such a short period of time are extremely dangerous and can be life-threatening, as we saw last night,” he said. “It’s another reminder that we’re all at the mercy of Mother Nature.”
Early on, West Putnam Avenue was closed near Pemberwick Road as was Hillside Road at Putnam Avenue near Greenwich High School. A total of 18 roads were closed as of Thursday afternoon, according to Greenwich police.
Town crews were out checking infrastructure in town on Thursday, including the Pemberwick Dam.
The rapids were “going really hard” even after the water receded at the dam, Camillo said. “You could really see the force of the water,” he said.
The Public Safety Complex’s lobby was open for anyone who needed shelter. Camillo said he visited the complex at about 12:30 a.m. and met with people who were stranded there for a few hours before roads were passable.
He said he was out on Verona Drive in Riverside when a call came in of a car stranded in the middle of the road, with water up to the door handle. The driver got out safely, and the road was closed off before any more vehicles drove into the water, Camillo said.
DPW crews and GEMS and the Fleet Department, for keeping the vehicles going, enough,” Camillo said. “They worked around the clock.”