CONNECTICUT, USA — The evacuation order has been lifted in the city of Norwich and the Bozrah town line as of 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Connecticut Emergency Management & Homeland Security.
Earlier, Norwich issued a mandatory evacuation of all areas along the Yantic River from the Bozrah town line to the area of Backus Hospital due to a breach at the Fitchville Pond Dam in Bozrah.
It is now safe for citizens to return home and officials will be monitoring the dam overnight according to officials.
Days after Connecticut was blanketed with snow, the state was hit with heavy rain and wind, causing widespread flooding in parts of the state.
The worst of the storm hit overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.
DEMHS said there is no evacuation of Backus Hospital and Kelly Middle School opened as a temporary shelter. The American Red Cross is stationed at the school to assist evacuated residents.
Officials said Thursday and into Friday, the State of Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection will oversee the stabilizing the dam with the installing a 'coffer dam' which will be placed in front of the existing dam to hold back water and allow for further investigation and repair.
As of 5:00 pm on Wednesday, power has been restored to all NPU customers that were impacted by the storm. At the peak of the storm and its aftermath, approximately 5,000 customers were without power.
"Residents evacuating from Yantic are advised that they may be displaced from their residences and businesses for several days," city officials said in a local emergency declaration.
The Bean Hill Substation had to be taken offline due to the floodwaters. According to Norwich Public Utilities, a breach at the Fitchville Pond Dam in Bozrah led to the substation shutdown. later in the day crews were able to access our Bean Hill Substation.
Officials said the decision was made to avoid "catastrophic" damage to the substation. But, due to the flood waters, crews cannot get to the substation to make any repairs.
Crews with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said that they are at the scene of the Fitchville Pond Dam to provide engineering support to local and state emergency officials.
They said that the dam is owned by Bozrah Waterworks Inc. and that it's a "high hazard potential dam, class C." Class C, according to DEEP, means that if the dam were to fail, it could cause loss of life or great economic loss.
The last inspection the dam underwent was in 2022 by DEEP's contractor.
Earlier Wednesday, the DEMHS said that, at the request of officials in Bozrah, a precautionary evacuation was underway for a part of town due to the breach.
The major flood stage for the Yantic River is 11 feet. Officials said that Wednesday morning, the river hit 14.2 feet.
Schools in Norwich, Bozrah, Franklin, and Lebanon all canceled class on Wednesday as the area waits for the flood waters to go down.
Emergency crews recused workers at a Domino's Pizza located near the Yantic River in Norwich.
FOX61 spoke to one of the men reduced. Watch the interview below.
The flooding also impacted travel on Wednesday morning in other towns in the state.
The City of Groton Police Department said that due to the storm combined with high tide, Beach Pond Road, Shore Avenue, Tyler Avenue, and Jupiter Point Road should be avoided.
The Naugatuck Police Department said on their Facebook just after 5 a.m. that dirt and debris remain while the flooding is beginning to recede on several roads. The police are asking drivers to use caution during their morning commute.
Part of Curtiss Street was closed in Southington, both east and westbound, just after 3 a.m., according to the Southington Police Department. They asked that travelers plan accordingly due to heavily flooded roads.
Just before 5 a.m., the Norwich Police Department said numerous roads were closed due to "several feet of water" or flowing water on some of them. Those impacted roads included Huntington Avenue, Sholes Avenue, and White Planes.
Montville also saw flooded roads. The police department said on their Facebook that Route 82 at the Montville and Bozrah line had water over the roadway around 3:30 a.m. Fitch Hill Road also had water over the road but was passable, the same as Route 85 near Sachetello Drive. The department also reminded drivers to drive slowly and cautiously.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation reports other roads in towns impacted by the rain and wind.
Due to debris and flooding, some schools had also delayed the start of classes in several towns.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.