NEW HAVEN, Conn. — As the remnants of Hurricane Ida ramp up across Connecticut Wednesday evening and overnight, some shoreline communities in greater New Haven may catch a break, in one respect.
"If the timing of the significant inundation of rain and high tide happens close to the same time, we have real problems on our hands," said Mayor Justin Elicker (D-New Haven).
But, with high tide in greater New Haven rolling in at just before 8 pm Wednesday and 8:30 Thursday morning, the city might dodge tidal flooding, with the heaviest of rain expected between 7 pm and 2 am.
"The fire department is fueled up and they have some pumps available in case there’s flooding in certain areas," said Elicker.
And all facets of public safety are counted on during weather events, including police.
"We focus on our low-lying areas, areas that are frequently flooded," said Sgt. Patrick Buturla, West Haven Police Department spokesperson. "We get barricades out there and law-enforcement personnel out there to prevent anyone from driving around."
The trouble spots in West Haven include railroad underpasses, like the one on Campbell Ave., which was inundated during Tropical Storm Elsa.
"I can recall multiple times that we’ve had to go and assist in extracting someone from a vehicle that’s being submerged, and it takes time," Buturla added.
Elsa's deluge also resulted in a washed-out hillside in West Haven, which diverted northbound train traffic to another track. And, with the record rains we've already received this summer, trees are another thing being monitored.
"The wind is supposed to be not as big of an issue but it’s always a concern we have this much rain," said Chris Sale, Milford's Public Work's Director. "The roots are saturated. Trees falling over."
Milford is also keeping a close eye in its two sewage treatment plants.
"We process on a normal day about 10 million gallons of sewage," Saley said. "The last storm, if the storm had carried through for the whole day, we would’ve had to process almost 36 million gallons."
The bottom-line: if you are approaching water on foot or in your vehicle and you don't know the depth of it, do not put yourself in peril. Find an alternate route.
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