Hours of Rain Leave Weeks of Cleanup, Headaches in Naugatuck

Roads buckled. Retaining walls crumbled. Basements flooded. Yards washed away. Brooks and dams overflowed. Apartment buildings were evacuated.

It all happened within a couple of hours Wednesday afternoon after Mother Nature dropped

The good news: nobody was injured. The bad: it could take several days, if not weeks or months, to clean up the mess.

Borough officials, who declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, were busy assessing damage and working to get it fixed on Thursday. How much money it will cost Naugatuck to make road repairs and other necessary fixes remains to be seen. Whether Naugatuck can get reimbursed by FEMA or other agencies is also unknown at this point, though Naugatuck officials say they're working to get those answers.

“Our priorities are to make sure people are safe and then assess damage in the community,” Mayor Bob Mezzo said Thursday. “Do you budget for six inches of rain in three hours? You don’t. But obviously you expect to have certain weather-related events during the course of the year.”

Perhaps the hardest hit area of Naugatuck was at the corner of Andrew Avenue and Scott Street, where part of the road collapsed near a four-way intersection. Several other roads, including the heavily traveled Hoadley and Cherry streets, were damaged.

On Trowbridge Place, located on the west side of Naugatuck near Hoadley Street, the borough has contracted to have bigger storm drains put in to help residents who frequently get flooded during rain storms; current drain pipes are not large enough to carry heavy amounts of water in a short period. The pipe replacement project took a hit Wednesday and could be delayed because of the storm, officials say.

Borough education officials assessed damage at all schools, most of which took on some kind of water damage, but were OK, Mezzo said. A walking path at Hillside School leading to the school’s gymnasium was completely ruined and remains a priority on the fix list for borough officials.

On private property, , as did some businesses, especially Cosmetology Center on Rubber Avenue where a retaining wall buckled in the storm and a parking lot washed out.

St. Francis of Assisi Church on Church Street took on a substantial amount of water and its church hall, in the basement, was seriously damaged.

Apartment buildings on Trowbridge Place and Prospect Street, which were evacuated for less than 24 hours, took on heavy flooding.

And Tender Years Preschool, next to the Congregational Church of Naugatuck on Division Street/Frank Johnson Way, suffered heavy flood damage and most of its possessions were ruined. Stephanie Gunnoud, former aide to former Mayor Ron San Angelo, said she’s organizing a toy/supply drive for the preschool. We will bring you more details of the fundraiser.

Readers who have more details about fundraisers, etc., are encouraged to tell us in comments or email paul.singley@patch.com.

The following message to residents was posted on Mayor Mezzo’s blog on Thursday:

Borough Public Works crews continue to assess damage in the aftermath of yesterday’s (8/1/2012) heavy rainfalls and flooding.  Residents may report damage to the Department of Public Works at 203-720-7071 and/or slucas@naugatuck-ct.gov.

The Borough’s primary focus for assessment will be problem areas in right of ways and other locations that could cause damage to public infrastructure if additional rainfall occurs.  State officials will assisting in performing damage assessments throughout the Borough.

Much of the damage to private property is not likely to be covered by conventional insurance.  Most insurance carriers, including the Borough’s, will consider damage from yesterday’s (8/1/2012) storm and flooding to be an “act of God”, and outside the limits of traditional coverage, particularly for policies that do not include flood insurance.  Residents who have sustained property damage are urged to contact their insurance company to investigate the limits of coverage.  Officials from the Connecticut Insurance Department are available to assist residents with insurance questions at 1-860-297-3900 or toll free at 1-800-203-3447 between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM.  Additional information is available on the Connecticut Insurance Department website.

Staff from United States Representative Rosa DeLauro’s office are available to answer insurance and/or other storm related damage questions by contacting 203-562-3718.

Residents are advised to be aware and cautious of any contractors offering to perform storm-related repairs.  Residents engaging any contractors should require appropriate credentials to be presented indicated the necessary levels of state licensing and applicable insurance.  Questions about any contractor can be directed to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection at 1-800-842-2649.

A travel advisory is still in effect.  While we expect all road repairs to be completed by the end of the day (8/2/2012), motorists are still advised to exercise extreme caution while driving as hazards and/or debris may still be present at many locations.

Residents requiring any pumping of basements may contact the Naugatuck Fire Department at 203-720-7084.