Drivers Trapped, Emergency Crews Overwhelmed; Ida Hits Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Flash flooding left numerous drivers trapped and emergency crews overwhelmed late Wednesday as Tropical Storm Ida blew through town, according to police.

About 11:30 p.m., police warned residents of flooded streets and submerged vehicles, urging them not to drive through standing water and to stay home if possible, according to a department Facebook post. Not long after, at midnight, police followed up with another post, saying the flash flooding was hazardous and first responders were overwhelmed.

"Dial 911 in life threatening emergencies only," the post said. "Non-emergency responses may be delayed."

According to the United Illuminating Co. outage map, 443 Fairfield customers — or 1.81 percent — were without power as of about 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

The dangerous conditions came while the area was under a flash flood emergency, as well as several other watches and warnings. NBC Connecticut Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan tweeted 11:45 p.m. that the Rooster River in Fairfield had reached 11.29 feet, just 0.36 feet below the flood of record. About an hour later, Hanrahan tweeted that neighboring Bridgeport received 5.53 inches of rain Wednesday, making it the third wettest day on record for the city.