Road Caves In As Henri Turns Stream Into Rapids In Manchester

MANCHESTER, CT — Rushing Waters from Tropical Storm Henri caused a street to cave in and left a major park flooded in Manchester Sunday. On Monday, state, local and federal authorities said they would look for disaster relief funds to pay for damage repairs.

Rainwater collecting in a stream alongside the Northfield Green condominium complex hit a portion of Ambassador Drive so hard that the pavement crumbled, leaving a chasm that divided the street. Shauna Brown, who lives adjacent to the stream said she was outside in an attempt to capture images of the initial "crack" in the road and heard what sounded like "an earthquake." She then saw the pavement collapse.

"It ... was ... wild ... completely wild," Brown said.

The water was so forceful that it carried a picnic table like a model boat into the side of the road.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who was on hand to survey the damage, said she never expected what she saw.

"Now this is flood damage," she said, calling the Manchester incident the worst she has seen in the state. Bysiewicz has been touring north central and eastern Connecticut.

"The Manchester area had more rain than in any part of the state," she added.

Manchester Public Works Director Tim Bockus said work would commence "well upstream" to open up the channels in anticipation of more raid Monday. Extensive flooding also took place at one of Manchester's most popular facilities — Charter Oak Park.

Manchester Fire, Rescue and EMS crews assisted in the evacuation of 18 homes and performed several "low risk assisted rescues" during the storm, officials said. A structure fire in the middle of the storm was also put out.

"There were several impacts from the storm," Manchester Acting General Manager Steve Stephanou said.

In addition to Bysiewicz and Bockus, the leadership contingent at the Ambassador Drive scene included U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, Manchester Deputy Mayor Sarah Jones, Manchester Fire Chief Dan French and State Rep. Jason Doucette.

"It was a heck of a day here in Manchester Sunday, Murphy said. "It's going to take days, if not weeks, to assess the damage in Connecticut and apply for federal aid," said Murphy, who said the Manchester situation deserves propriety status. "The storm turned out not to be as bad as we thought, but it will still be an expensive storm. Dick (Blumenthal) and I will work to get any assistance we can."

Blumenthal said federal disaster relief programs are designed for instances like Ambassador so "the taxpayers of Manchester" are rendered assistance.

"The Town is monitoring the impacts of the heavy rains and flash flooding and assessing the damage of the storm," Stephanou said. "Town crews are responding to the impacted areas and recovery efforts will continue over
the upcoming days."

“With additional rainfall expected over the next several hours, potentially worsening flooding conditions, we are asking Manchester residents to remain alert," Mayor Jay Moran said. "Residents should always stay away from flooded roads, and if you can, check on your neighbors. I also want to thank Town staff – Fire-Rescue-EMS, Public Works, and Police- who have all been working around the clock to help Manchester respond and recover from the storm."