Driving around Southington on Monday morning was like driving through a maze of downed trees and power lines. Several roads were blocked while crews used bucket trucks to get the power back on. Some trees were even pulled up by their roots.
Marjorie Leone, who lives on Flanders Road, saw a woman was driving near her home when a tree fell on her car, trapping her inside. Leone became emotional as the woman was rescued.
"She wiped my tear off my face, and she goes, 'Honey, don't cry for me,'" Leone said. "So I got her a chair, and she sat here, and she called her daughter, and her daughter picked her up, and eventually they came, and they towed the car out, but there's a lot of damage."
Leone is also dealing with damage. A tree fell in her backyard, destroying her deck. She and her husband were still without power Monday afternoon.
"We are concerned about that, because my husband is on a CPAP machine, so he relies on that for breathing at night," Leone said. "We do have a generator, but it's constantly getting gas, but he's alive. We're alive, so it's OK."
Power could be restored by Tuesday night to Leone and thousands of Connecticut residents following weekend storms, according to officials with energy provider Eversource.
At one point over the weekend, power was cut to about 100,000 customers across the state, especially in southern and western Connecticut. As of Monday afternoon, that was down to about 20,000.
The storms brought down lots of trees, making it harder for restoration crews, some of whom were brought in from Canada.
The ongoing rain in the forecast isn't helping matters. Connecticut is under a flood watch — until Tuesday morning for the southern part of the state and Tuesday afternoon for northern counties.
“It may not take much for those additional trees and branches to come down," Eversource spokesperson Jamie Ratliff said.
Weekend storms were powerful with winds up to 65mph, Ratliff said.
“Weather forecasts just really did not capture the level of intense winds that occurred Saturday night into Connecticut," Ratliff said.
Eversource was working to prioritize power restoration to hospitals, water treatment plants and other critical facilities, Ratliff said.
Across the state, residents were working Monday to clean up the mess, while towns were finding ways to help.
In New Fairfield, device charging stations, showers, and water for flushing toilets were all available Monday at the high school and the middle school.
In Torrington, a local state of emergency was declared after the storm. Public works crews and first responders were working to make streets passable. Torrington City Hall was open for device charging, and for anyone who needs a safe place to go.
Norwalk Mayor Barbara Smyth said the weekend storms impacted the entire city. Crews continued to deal with blocked roads Monday afternoon.
She said she’s keeping an eye out for more flooding. Norwalk borders the Long Island Sound, which means any additional rain could lead to flash floods.
"We're a shoreline community, and to any area near the water, if it's at high tide, of course, is always susceptible to flooding, especially when there are heavy rains," she said. "Those are the areas that we want to make sure that we are watching.”
In Greenwich, First Selectman Fred Camillo said he, too, was worried about flash floods.
“Like every town in America, you have areas that flood that are prone to flooding," he said. "We always have our Department of Public Works and our Parks and Recreation units go out before a storm, and they'll try to get to those drains that are in problem areas and clear them out.”
Storm recovery tips
The Connecticut governor's office has the following tips:
- People who rely on medically necessary equipment and lose power, or if you have an emergency, should call 911.
- Stay clear of downed power lines. Assume they are live and dangerous; report them to the utility company right away.
- For real-time updates on state road closures, visit CTroads.org. Obey all signage when approaching road closures.
- For non-emergency help, contact your town’s local officials. Visit www.211ct.org or call 211 for more information.
- Sign up for emergency alerts at portal.ct.gov/ctalert.
- Always operate emergency generators outdoors, at least 15 to 20 feet away from a home, with exhaust pointing away from doors, windows, and vents.
