OXFORD, Connecticut — Torrential rains turned streets into raging rivers in parts of Connecticut and Long Island, New York, trapping people in cars and a restaurant, covering vehicles in mud and sweeping away two women who died, authorities said.
Dramatic rescues took place as 12 inches of rain fell in some parts of western Connecticut late Sunday and early Monday, falling so quickly that it caught drivers off guard. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who declared a state of emergency, said more than 100 people were evacuated by search and rescue teams Sunday night.
The bodies of two women who had been sitting in separate cars were found Monday in Oxford, a city of 13,000 about 35 miles southwest of Hartford, officials said. State police identified them Monday afternoon as Ethelyn Joiner, 65, and Audrey Rostkowski, 71, both of Oxford.
Firefighters were trying to pull one of the women to safety when she was swept away by floodwaters from the Little River, Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pelletier said at a news conference with other Connecticut officials. The second woman got out of her car and tried to hold on to a sign, but “the rushing water was too much” and swept her away, too, he said.
“This is a tragic and devastating day for Oxford,” said First Alderman George Temple.
US Senator Richard Blumenthal added: “Who would have thought that the Little River would turn into a raging torrent of destruction, and that is exactly what happened.”
Numerous roads in the area were closed, many because of washed-away bridges, including parts of Routes 34 and 67. As of Monday afternoon, 27 state roads were closed, but no highways were affected, said Garrett Eucalitto, director of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The Metro-North Railroad’s Waterbury branch remained closed because of flooding and damage from a landslide, officials said.
“The recovery will take a long time,” said Eucalitto. “We are inspecting all state roads today.”
In nearby Southbury, Lucas Barber used wilderness first responder techniques learned as a backpacker and mountain climber to wade through chest-deep water and rescue Patrick Jennings, who wears a prosthetic leg, and Jennings’ dog from a car in front of the Southbury Plaza shopping center.
Barber, 30, said he drove to higher ground and retrieved a rope he keeps in his car for emergencies. Jennings’ car, he said, looked like it was “being carried by the tide and appeared to be sinking.”
Barber said he initially tried to throw his rope to the car, but then waded and swam to the vehicle when he noticed Jennings had a prosthetic leg. In the back seat, he saw Jennings’ golden retriever, Stanley.
“Your dog is coming with us, but I have to get you out right away,” Barber said he told Jennings.
Jennings removed his prosthetics and Barber wrapped his rope around the man’s waist and chest. Barber tried to tie the rope around the dog’s collar, but it came loose. After getting Jennings to safety, he went back to get Stanley. Halfway through, Barber said, the dog got excited to see Jennings and swam the rest of the way to his owner.
Barber said he went back a third time to retrieve Jennings’ prosthetic leg, which was bobbing up and down next to his car.
In Oxford, the floodwaters engulfed the Brookside Inn, trapping 18 people. Firefighters stretched a long ladder like a bridge across the floodwaters to reach them as cars and other large debris swept away by the flood crashed into the building, said Jeremy Rodorigo, a firefighter from neighboring Beacon Falls. One by one, people crawled up the ladder to safety.
Firefighters also rescued a woman and a small dog from a neighboring apartment, Rodorigo said.
In Southbury, a landslide destroyed several buildings on a poultry farm and killed more than 100 chickens, the owner said on social media.
The storm system that hit Connecticut and then moved on to Long Island was a separate element of Hurricane Ernesto, which was over the open Atlantic on Monday but still brought strong waves, dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast.
William Syrett, professor of meteorology and atmospheric sciences at Pennsylvania State University, called the Connecticut-New York system a “practice storm.”
“It’s like every thunderstorm is a car on a railroad track, and so they keep going over the same spot,” he said. He spoke of “perfect conditions” for the storms, thanks to moisture in the air and a slow-moving weather system.
What was unusual was the amount of rain that fell over several hours, Syrett said, not the thunderstorms themselves.
Jennifer Santos, 17, said Sunday was like a normal day at her parents’ newly opened restaurant in Oxford, La Terraza Mexican Grill, until the river began to swell, flooding the area around the building and eventually destroying the driveway.
“The water rose very quickly, up to knee height,” she said. “One of our customers was almost swept away. Thank God she is unharmed.”
More than 450 flights were canceled at Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, officials said.
Information for this article was contributed by Suman Naishadham, Julie Walker and Bruce Shipkowski of The Associated Press.
Vehicles drive through water on Newtown Road in Danbury, Connecticut, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)
This photo provided by Beacon Hose Co. No. 1, a fire station in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, shows members of the Beacon Hose Co. rescuing people from the Brookside Inn in Oxford, Connecticut, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (Beacon Hose Co via AP)
A bridge on Seth Den Road in Oxford, Connecticut, was washed away after torrential rains turned roads in parts of Connecticut and Long Island, New York, into raging rivers. People in cars and a restaurant were trapped, vehicles were covered in mud and two women were swept away and died, authorities said Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo Dave Collins)
This photo provided by Beacon Hose Co. No. 1, a fire station in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, shows members of the Beacon Hose Co. rescuing people from the Brookside Inn in Oxford, Connecticut, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (Beacon Hose Co via AP)
A bridge on Seth Den Road in Oxford, Connecticut, was washed away after torrential rains turned roads in parts of Connecticut and Long Island, New York, into raging rivers. People in cars and a restaurant were trapped, vehicles were covered in mud and two women were swept away and died, authorities said Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo Dave Collins)
This photo provided by Beacon Hose Co. No. 1, a fire station in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, shows members of the Beacon Hose Co. rescuing people from the Brookside Inn in Oxford, Connecticut, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (Beacon Hose Co via AP)
Isabel Perez and Javier Santos, owners of La Terraza Mexican Grill in Oxford, Connecticut, stand next to their restaurant, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, where the driveway was washed away and the basement flooded when the Little River burst its banks. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)
This photo provided by Beacon Hose Co. No. 1, a fire station in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, shows Beacon Hose members rescuing a dog from the Brookside Inn in Oxford, Connecticut, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (Beacon Hose Co via AP)8
Danbury, Connecticut, City workers clear debris from a landslide on Shelter Rock Road in Danbury, Connecticut, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)
