Governor Ned Lamont Thursday morning signed a declaration of civil preparedness emergency in response to the widespread flood damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which passed through Connecticut Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
“The filing of this declaration will help provide state and local emergency management officials with the necessary tools to aid the impacted areas in safely recovering from this record-breaking rainfall that we received overnight,” Governor Lamont said.
Original story Sept 2, 2:49pm: The town of Greenwich issued an update on the historic flooding that occurred mostly in the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida passing through the region Wednesday night left about eight inches of rain within a nine-hour period, resulting in flooding in many neighborhoods, in addition to many downed trees and power lines.
Public safety and utility crews continue to assess the damage and prioritize repair efforts. We had no reports of significant injuries, despite evacuations of cars and homes caught in floodwaters and the evacuation of one assisted care facility in town.
A large dock in the Byram River broke loose during the storm resulting in significant damage to boats.
Assistance to those in need is being provided by Town of Greenwich workers and private community agencies.
The Red Cross is available for emergency shelter assistance.
Just over 500 homes in Greenwich are currently without power. Eversource crews are in the area attempting to restore power.
On Thursday, in a release, the town asked the public to remain off the roads due to downed trees and power lines, noting that crews are working to remedy road closures, but it will take some time.
Eighteen roads were fully closed as of 1:50 pm Thursday afternoon:
Baldwin Farms North
Baldwin Farms South
North St (south of Taconic Rd)
Brookridge Dr
Indian Chase Dr
Oval Av
Marshall St
N Water St
Hassake Rd
Lakewood Circle N
Doubling Rd
Round Hill Rd (just south of Rte 15)
Deerfield Dr
Locust Rd
Birchwood Dr
Brookside Park
Old Camp Ln
Beechcroft Rd
Numerous other roads have partial obstructions restricting travel in one direction.
Residents were urged to exercise caution when outdoors as downed power lines may remain energized and represent a significant hazard. Those using generators should ensure that they are positioned well away from living areas and exhaust is properly ventilated.
Between 9:00 pm Wednesday night and 9:00 am Thursday morning, Greenwich Police responded to 355 calls for service, including 7 medical calls with the Greenwich Emergency Medical Service and 4 car accidents.
The Fire Department responded to about 200 calls during the same time frame. Crews from the Greenwich Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks and Recreation have been working throughout the night attempting to clear trees and debris from the roads.
At about 11:30 pm Wednesday night, Greenwich Public Safety Dispatch was advised that the assisted care facility at 1188 King Street was without power and was experiencing significant leaks in the roof and flooding within patient areas.
Numerous agencies responded to the scene, including Greenwich Police, Greenwich Emergency Medical Service (GEMS), Greenwich Fire, Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Transportation Association of Greenwich.
An evacuation of all patients was coordinated by GEMS and DPH resulting in two critical care patients being transported to Greenwich Hospital and 44 other patients transferred to a nearby assisted care facility with no injuries to patients or staff.
See also:
PHOTOS, VIDEO: Historic Flooding in Greenwich Closes School, Strands Cars, Wires Down