With the risk of impending hurricane force winds and rain, Shelton officials Saturday called for a mandatory evacuation of the Maples neighborhood on the Housatonic River in Shelton.
But several residents stayed.
On Monday, they assessed the damage while waiting for their power to be turned back on.
Residents have the same amount of water as they did during a storm this past March. But this storm was very different, they said.
“This time, the river was angry,” said Maples resident Tim Gomolak.
He described waves “3 to 4 feet high, with white caps on them.”
The waves headed upstream, instead of down toward Long Island Sound, thanks to Hurricane Irene.
“It was something I’ve never seen before,” said Maples resident Brian Connolly. “The river itself, it looked like the ocean.”
Twins Joe Martinelli and Jim Martinelli said they saw several things float down the river during the height of the storm.
“Brand new docks,” Joe Martinelli said.
“A new Dumpster,” Jim Martinelli said. “Several canoes. A tire.”
So Why Did They Stay?
Connolly estimated about half the residents stayed throughout the storm. He never leaves.
“Worst case scenario, I get an inch or so of water,” Connolly said.
He’s on higher ground than some people at the end of the road, who did find other shelter, Connolly said.
Gomolak had about a foot of water in his first-floor basement, and his back yard was under 2 feet of water Monday morning.
He stayed throughout the storm, after considering staying with family in Milford or Easton.
“We’re all going to have water. And we’re all going to not have power,” Gomolak said. “So why not stay?”
They Left
Then there’s Maxine McIntyre and Louise Lanci, who live together on higher ground near the entrance of the Maples.
They headed the warnings Saturday and booked a hotel room in Naugatuck.
“Because Shelton said we were going to be ticketed if we stayed,” McIntyre said.
“Then we lost power in Naugatuck,” she said.
McIntyre said she got no water in her house during the storm.
“So we incurred a $100 bill we didn’t need,” she said.
