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.
It’s not just water impacts for this spot. There is only one way in or out of the entire area, and that is normally not allowed in our development by subdivision regulations due to public safety. If a tree goes down across the road, and someone has a heart attack in the community – you can not be reached. This liability is partly why the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company years ago was seeking to end leases of property to house owners in the Maples area. There was a complicated transaction that allowed the homeowners to purchase the land from the water utility and own their property in fee-simple to live there. If there is a mandatory evacuation, and residents stay, they should pay the full cost for any emergency response call. There is no excuse for violation of the mandate and possibly putting emergency responders at risk. Better to pay a $100 hotel bill instead of a $1000 fire call and potentially if it was worse lose your life. It’s not about the “worse case I get an inch of water”. Its about the ability to reach you and respond in an emergency. This is an area known in advance that it will be an issue, and thus the evacuation order.