Flash floods in Connecticut killed two women over the weekend and prompted the evacuation of around 100 people by search and rescue teams, authorities said.
Search and rescue crews were dispatched after heavy rainfall caused the emergency in New Haven and Fairfield counties. Further flood warnings were issued for other parts of the Northeast, officials said.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency on Monday.
“This declaration can help expedite some of the resources needed for us to respond, including potential federal support,” Gov. Ned Lamont wrote in a post on X. “Hundreds of evacuations and swift water rescues were necessary to remove people from dangerous areas and shelters were opened.”
The National Weather Service on Aug. 18 warned of widespread flooding and water rescues in the area, including in the cities of Waterbury, Danbury, and the town of Fairfield. The advisory was later downgraded to a flood warning.
In an update, it said that flooding had also affected the cities of Oxford, Seymore, and Cheshire, which lie outside the emergency zone, with further alerts issued on Aug. 19 for southern Connecticut, northeast New Jersey, and southeast New York.
The two women who died were swept away by flood waters in Little River at Oxford. Their bodies were recovered in separate cars. State police have identified them as Oxford residents Ethelyn Joiner, 65, and Audrey Rostkowski, 71.
Firefighters were working to get one of the women to safety from her car when waters suddenly rose in the river, and the woman was swept away, Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pelletier told reporters at a press conference alongside other Connecticut officials.
The second woman managed to get out of her flooded car and was holding onto a road sign but “the racing water was too much” and she was also swept away, Pelletier said of the deaths that happened on Sunday afternoon.
Gov. Ned Lamont said of the Aug. 18 floods that all necessary resources will be provided to residents in the area.
“We will continue helping towns with any resources they need to immediately respond and keep the public safe,” he said. “This was a historic storm in some areas of Connecticut.”
Lamont said in an update on Monday that the sudden and severe flooding had caused “significant damage to infrastructure in the western portion of the state, resulting in evacuations, rescues, and more than two dozen road closures that we anticipate will need to be closed for an extended period.”
Road closures across several cities and towns in Connecticut, including Stamford, Danbury, Southbury, and Naugatuck, are in place due to the dangerous driving conditions.
“I strongly encourage anyone in the western area of the state to stay alert for updates before traveling and do not attempt to drive through any flooded roads,” the governor said.
Train services in some areas were suspended but most have resumed operation.
The same applied to several airports near New York City, including JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia, which all temporarily halted services on Aug. 18 due to thunderstorms, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
“Flash flood warnings have been issued by NWS for parts of Fairfield, New Haven, Litchfield, and Hartford Counties and remain in effect until later tonight or until canceled,” Connecticut’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Department said in a Monday post on X. “Many towns have reported impacts & our Regional Offices are in close communication with their towns.”
The flooding also led to the closure of at least two Connecticut State Parks.
“The Connecticut Emergency Operations Center will remain in enhanced monitoring mode throughout the duration of this weather event,” the governor said.