4/17/2007

In April 2007 a powerful spring storm rolled across the United States affecting a significant portion of the country. From the Gulf Coast through the Plains States, to the Mid-Atlantic and eventually New England, this system brought violent weather and left a wake of destruction. By April 15th, the system had evolved into a nor'easter and stalled over Long Island Sound. Gale-force winds whipped coastal areas and combined with a new moon high tide, much of Connecticut's shoreline experienced significant flooding. Numerous flights from the region's airports were cancelled and rail travel disrupted.

Much of Connecticut's interior began to be drenched early on Sunday the 15th. Four to eight inches fell across the state and Simsbury experienced its heaviest period of precipitation during the overnight into April 16th. That same day an an observation taken of the storm in Long Island Sound recorded an astonishingly-low barometric pressure of 966 millibars.

The Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company answered its first call for a flooded basement at 12:38 am on April 16th and throughout much of the day the Fire Company continued to receive nearly three-dozen requests for pump-outs. By evening the Farmington River has risen enough to force the closure of Riverside Road and later that evening the Fire Company encouraged residents along Riverside Road to evacuate.

At 5:28 am on the Tuesday the 17th, a request for evacuation was made by a resident on Riverside Road. Water in the basement had risen almost to the first floor and the front yard was under thirty inches of water. Simsbury's Marine 2 and additional resources were dispatched to the Drake Hill Bridge. The residents, along with two dogs and two birds, were ferried back to dry land by firefighters dressed in exposure suits to protect them from the 39°F water temperature.

By morning rush hour, most roads near and bridges across the Farmington River in Simsbury were closed due to flooding. Eastbound commuters on the west side of the river were forced to detour north or south for several miles in order to cross over and considerable traffic congestion occurred throughout the town.

Approximately two hours later all available personnel were recalled back to the Drake Hill Bridge. Firefighters went door-to-door along the flooded portion of Riverside Road to issue voluntary evacuations and extend the opportunity for transport out of the flood zone. All eight residences in the effected area decided to evacuate along with numerous pets. With basements flooded and circuit breaker boxes submerged, the decision was made to terminate power in the affected area along Riverside Road. Some time in the late morning to early afternoon, a monitoring station near the Drake Hill Bridge recorded a river crest of 16.64 feet, the fifth highest in recorded history.

Later that evening, personnel were dispatched to Route 315 near Curtiss Park for a motorist who had ignored posted barricades, attempted to cross the flooded portion of road and who's vehicle had stalled. Once again, Marine 2 was put into service to ferry the motorist back to dry land.

With the Farmington River retreating slightly, firefighters found themselves back on Riverside Road on April 18th, this time to remove water from basements most of which were flooded significantly. A call was placed to the State Department of Emergency Management and two portable pumps from the Coast Guard were brought up from Long Island Sound to augment Simsbury's available capabilities. Firefighters returned once again the following day to pump-out the remaining homes thus allowing homeowners in many cases to re-establish electrical service and begin to put their lives back in order.

A twist of good fortune was that Simsbury's public schools were closed that week for spring vacation. Several of the Fire Company's Junior Firefighters worked tirelessly all week and were immeasurably valuable in helping the Fire Company help the public.

Over the course of these four days the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company responded to 65 requests for pump-outs, 9 evacuations by boat, 2 retrievals of stranded motorists, and additionally 6 requests for service including 1 basement fire.

Even though a flooded roadway may seem passable, the true depth of the water is impossible to ascertain and unseen dips in the road may suddenly plunge a vehicle deeper than expected. Also undetectable are road wash-outs hidden beneath the water. Vehicles can be swept from a roadway by minimal moving water and motorists who become wet risk hypothermia. For your safety, always heed warnings, barricades and closures. Tampering and willful disregard of barricades and closures is punishable by law. If voluntary evacuations are issued for your area, follow the advice of officials and move to safety before the situation become dangerous.