HAMDEN -- The State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced Kettletown State Park, in Southbury, will reopen Friday, but parts of the park will remain closed due to storm cleanup. However, the campgrounds will be open for Memorial Day camping.
Two parks will definitely be closed for the holiday weekend.
Sleeping Giant, in Hamden, which had roughly 10 acres of trees in the picnic area mowed down by the tornado, is one of three parks that remain closed. And only several miles east, Wharton Brook State Park, on the Wallingford-North Haven line, also suffered significant damage and remains closed.
"What we do know is that 790 trees have come down at Wharton Brook and that is substantial number of trees," said Chris Colibee, spokesman for DEEP.
While the nearly 800 trees in the roughly 100 acre park were leveled by the storm, the state is emphasizing that over 100 state parks are open.
While nearby Cheshire was largely spared, one neighborhood about a mile from the high school was hit particularly hard by last Tuesday's ferocious weather.
A couple of homes on Bellamy Road were condemned, following severe tree damage. However, there is one amazing story of survival.
Behind a 10 ton tree, the homeowner's son-in-law pointed out to FOX61 an amazing display of survival. A bird's nest, full of baby robins is still balancing on a light fixture.
"I think the amazing story is that we had to cranes and an uncountable number of chainsaws on top of the house and she still maintained her babies," said John Theys, who was tending to his mother-in-law's home.
He said he’s hoping that the babies are strong enough to leave the nest before the mother is spooked by all the activity happening in and around the house.