Dangerous Flooding, Power Outages Impact Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Heavy rainfall and high winds impacted Stamford Wednesday night into Thursday as roads flooded and power went out for hundreds of customers. As a result, Mayor David Martin issued an emergency declaration "to ensure the swift allocation of emergency response resources as needed."

As of approximately 10 a.m. Thursday according to an update from Martin, there have been 17 reported motor vehicle accidents, 18 water rescues, 43 vehicles towed, and upwards of 600 power outages in Stamford. Public Safety Departments have responded to more than 317 calls for service.

"Like other major weather events, the city and Public Safety and Operations Departments were prepared and have done an outstanding job," Martin said in a news release. "I want to offer my sincerest appreciation to the members of the Stamford Fire Department, Stamford Police Department, EMS, our 911 dispatchers, and our Operations Department for their successful response and effort in combatting the storm. Due to their efforts, there was no loss of life, and injuries were minor and kept to a minimum."

Ted Jankowksi, Director of Public Safety, Health, and Welfare for Stamford, said during the height of the storm, the city worked with operations personnel utilizing front end loaders to readily assist with emergency response to calls for assistance.

"We are currently working with Eversource to restore residents who are still out of power," Jankowski added.

For Stamford Fire Chief Trevor Roach, the flooding was unprecedented. Stamford received almost nine inches of rain.

"We saw flooding in sections of town we haven't seen flooding before. It was deeper than we've seen before," Roach told Patch. Areas near the I-95 underpass and metro north station were flooded, and the Rippowam River broke its banks and flooded Washington Boulevard.

The Woodside Fire House took on some water damage as well, Roach said.

"Everything is looking OK right now. We're cleaning up, we're trying to get all the cars towed that are stuck in the middle of the street, we're working on cleaning that fire house out and seeing what kind of mechanical damage we have," Roach said.

However, Farms Road just beyond number 415 "has been washed out," Roach said. "That may be a significant problem for quite a while." Roach said he believes that is the only remaining road closure in the city at the moment.

The dispatch center was hectic on Wednesday night, as every 911 line was "lit up" according to Roach. Martin said in a news release that the Public Safety and Operations Department recorded upwards of 1,800 911 calls in a 10 hour period. Many calls were a result of Greenwich and Darien’s 911 call centers being down.

"It was extremely busy in the room last night," Roach added.

Roach advised residents to be on the lookout for uncovered manholes, as a lot of the covers were blown off and misplaced overnight.

For those using generators, Roach said not to use them in confined spaces, as carbon monoxide can be deadly.

UConn Stamford closed in-person classes on Thursday. Stamford Public Schools operated under a two-hour delayed opening.

According to an announcement from the city, all Stamford beaches are closed for swimming and shoreline activities on Thursday.