BROOKFIELD -- It has been nearly one week since a macroburst rocked the Brookfield community, and those who experienced it say it was something they will never forget.
“It sounded like you were standing in the back of a jet engine,” said David Ragaini of Brookfield. “It was intense, the winds were horizontal, I’d seen things come down on a diagonal before but never straight across.”
Reagan said last week’s macroburst came and went in the span of 15 minutes but that was all it took to leave behind immense damage.
“We have six penetrations through the roof, in the bed rooms, and in the living rooms,” said Ragaini. “So, the roof is going to have to be removed from the house, we lost 18 80 foot trees.”
That damage, does not even include the cars in the driveway, which also took the brunt of the storm’s force.
“My work car was one of the first to get hit,” said Ragaini.
But Ragaini said he considers himself lucky.
“This is all things that can be replaced, and things that will in time work out,” said Ragaini. “We are lucky no one got hurt.”
Luckily, the damage to Ragaini’s home did not require him to move out, but he is still without power now almost one week after the storm hit.
“The people next door had to move out, our friends down the street have to move,” said Ragaini. “A lot of these houses were just completely destroyed, so we are fortunate that we can stay in the house with the generator.”
24 percent of Brookfield was still without power Monday morning as crews work to put back the roughly 288 miles of downed power lines all across the state.
“Obviously the hardest hit areas are going to be the areas that are going to be restored last unfortunately,” said Jay Purcell, Chief of Brookfield Police. “They are rebuilding total infrastructure up there for the electrical system.”
As many are anxious to have their lights back on, the first selectman said the number one priority remains clearing the roads.
“We are currently in the mode to get our streets safe so we can get our school buses, and get our kids back in school,” said Brookfield First Selectman, Steve Dunn.
Brookfield public schools will be cancelled again on Tuesday. The end of the school year has been pushed back to June 29th, with high school graduation still taking place on June 23rd.