Fairfield Sees 'Significant Damage' From Ida

FAIRFIELD, CT — The remnants of Hurricane Ida caused significant damage in Fairfield, dropping nearly 6 inches of rain overnight and resulting in road closures that continued through most of Thursday.

After being closed for much of the day due to downed trees and wires, the 200 block of Euclid Avenue had reopened by 8 p.m., according to police. The 2100 block of Burr Street was still partially blocked by a tree Thursday night, but one lane had reopened by about 3:30 p.m.

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Police urged residents to exercise caution in the aftermath of the storm and to avoid known hazard areas and immediately report any fallen trees and wires.

Between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, about 30 vehicles were towed as a result of flooding, 13 road hazards were reported and there were two vehicle accidents, police said. About midnight Thursday, police warned residents that first responders were overwhelmed by calls about flash flooding and could only immediately respond to life-threatening emergencies.

Fairfield remained under a flood warning until 6:15 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. As of about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, 157 of Fairfield’s United Illuminating Co. customers — or less than 1 percent — were without power, down from 407 customers at 9:15 a.m., according to the company.

Fairfield schools started two hours late Thursday, police said. Coastal beaches and the Lake Mohegan swimming area were closed Thursday due to the excessive rainfall, according to the Fairfield Health Department.

Among the areas hardest hit by Ida were Kings Highway East, Mill Plain Road, Lake Mohegan, Gould Manor Park and Stratfield along the watershed, according to First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, who said the town saw "significant damage."

"I want to thank our emergency crews who worked through the night to help motorists and homeowners with trees down," she said in a Facebook post.

The fire department was providing guidance and resources to residents and business owners Thursday morning, according to Kupchick, who said some residents had over 6 feet of water in their basements.

To request non-emergency assistance for flooding, residents should call the Emergency Communications Center non-emergency line at 203-254-4700, option 1. Those who require assistance from a town department can request service at www.fairfieldct.org/311/request/add. Residents experiencing a power outage should contact their utility company and should not call 911.