HARTFORD, Conn. — A giant rain cloud over this Fourth of July.
"Not a fun one. It was a lot, a lot of emotional distress too," said Nicole Silenok of West Hartford.
Heavy downpours lead to flash flooding, making West Hartford's roads and backyards look more like a lake.
"Oh it was coming down in absolute sheets and even the gutters couldn’t take it," said Marian Barrett of West Hartford.
While the rain fell quickly, the damage it caused will be long-lasting.
Silenok and her girlfriend are among those now left to pick up the pieces after their basement flooded.
"We were sweeping rain out, we put our couch on paint cans, some stuff already got destroyed it was a little too late. Our rug got completely destroyed," she said. "It was just, it was just a nightmare really," Silenok said.
As soon as the downpours began there was concern in Hartford's north end about flooding. And with good reason. Inside of North United Methodist Church, the water started pouring in, flooding the basement of this building and the one next door, bringing mud in. It isn’t the first time it’s happened.
"At least three times that we’ve had to renovate this space because of flooding," said Donna Trowers-Morris.
A day meant to be spent enjoying time off turned into an all-hands-on-deck effort to clean up.
"We had to get started, we couldn’t wait until tomorrow, we couldn’t wait until the next day we can’t wait for funding," Trowers-Morris said.
$85 million in state funding has been committed to addressing the longtime problem of flooding in Hartford.
"You have the north end that is literally drowning in water and sewage waste," said Bridgitte Prince, a community activist.
Community activists say Monday's flash flooding is an example of just how desperately help is needed.
"You cannot just throw money at it, you have to get the job done. So we’re looking for some action, immediate action," said community activist Cynthia Jennings.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at mmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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