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Jean Falbo-Sosnovich | Sep 9, 2024 6:18 pm
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This 2023 image from Google Maps shows Route 34 in Monroe heading over the Stevenson Dam into Oxford. A boat barrier can be seen in Lake Zoar.
OXFORD-SEYMOUR – Federal officials are looking into complaints about how debris from the Aug. 18 rainstorm was cleared from Lake Zoar at the Stevenson Dam.
Members of the Lake Housatonic Authority previously complained about FirstLight’s plan to clear the debris field in a Valley Indy story published Aug. 22. The authority alleged FirstLight, the dam’s owner, violated its “debris management plan” on file with federal regulators.
The authority alleged that too much debris was allowed to flow over the Stevenson Dam and into the Housatonic River communities under the dam.
The photo above is from 2023. The video below is from DroningAroundCT’s Facebook page and shows Lake Zoar at the boat barrier on Aug. 19.
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Eugene Driscoll | Sep 6, 2024 7:03 am
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SEYMOUR – The region is still waiting to hear whether the federal government will issue a major disaster declaration in connection to the Aug. 18 rainstorm that produced flash floods in Monroe, Naugatuck, Oxford, Southbury and Seymour.
The declaration, if it happens, could result in the release of federal funding to reimburse eligible homeowners, businesses, and state/local government for some rebuilding and repair costs. That aid could potentially help uninsured private property owners, too.
An issue locally is that many properties did not have flood insurance, because no one thought the “Little River” was capable of causing so much damage.
DERBY — Two men have been charged in connection to a June 27 shootout on Anson Street.
Trevon Vickers, 20, of Ansonia, is charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm, second-degree breach of peace, and possession of drugs with intent to sell.
Carlos Scott, 26, of Seymour, is charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm, breach of peace, and criminal mischief.
According to warrants for their arrest, Vickers and Scott were part of a group hanging out on Anson Street in front of a convenience store when two vehicles rolled by at 9:09 p.m.
One of the vehicles slowed down near Anson’s intersection with Fifth Street, just down the block from the convenience store.
Police said that someone from that vehicle may have fired a shot toward the group outside the store.
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PRESS RELEASE | Sep 5, 2024 8:04 am
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Frederic Edwin Church, Niagara Falls, 1857, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Wikipedia public domain image)
SEYMOUR — The Seymour Public Library hosts Historian John Cilio for a free, in-person presentation,” Hudson River Painters — An Artistic Landscape Fraternity” at the Seymour Public Library on Wed. September 18, 2024 at 6:30 P.M.
Registration is not required.
The Hudson River School was America’s first true artistic fraternity, dating back to the 1820s.
This loosely organized group of painters focused on capturing the unique natural beauty of the American continent. During this time of significant social, political, and economic change in American history, the paintings of the Hudson River School reflected a sense of hopefulness and a deep appreciation for the untouched American landscape. As time passed, their artwork also began to convey a sense of sorrow for the changing landscape.
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Jean Falbo-Sosnovich | Sep 4, 2024 6:11 pm
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OXFORD – A daylong music festival to help people impacted by the Aug. 18 floods is scheduled for Saturday (Sept. 7) at Quarry Walk shopping plaza.
The “Community Rising Day Long Music Fest,” a flood relief fundraiser, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Quarry Walk’s Center Rock Green, 300 Oxford Rd. (Route 67).
The event is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the Community Rising Team Flood Relief Fund, which is also known as the Valley Flood Relief Fund. Click here to donate.
Aaron Budris, Environmental Planning Director at NVCOG, answers questions from the public at the Aug. 28 meeting.
ANSONIA – Representatives from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) and Save The Sound met with residents of Ansonia and Seymour on Aug. 28 to answer questions about the planned removal of the Kinneytown Dam.
About 80 people attended the meeting – about half in-person and half via Zoom – at the Ansonia Senior Center on 65 Main St. Residents asked about the status of the dams following last month’s floods, the eventual fate of Coe Pond, and various other matters.
The Kinneytown Dam, out of operation since 2013, is in Seymour, just north of the border with Ansonia. The complex also includes a canal that feeds into Coe Pond downstream. An embankment dam, the Coe Pond Dam, runs along the length of the canal.
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Jean Falbo-Sosnovich | Sep 4, 2024 6:46 am
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Seymour Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Chris Edwards at the Sept. 3 Selectpersons meeting.
SEYMOUR – The town’s fire chief and emergency management director said 26 homes and 16 businesses were damaged during the Aug. 18 rainstorm that produced flash flooding in the area. An estimated $455,000 in damage was caused to Seymour’s roads and infrastructure.
“I’ve never seen water do destruction like it did on Aug. 18,” Chris Edwards told members of the Seymour Board of Selectpersons on Tuesday (Sept. 3).“We’re in the recovery phase now.”
Edwards said the 15 inches of rain that fell undermined roads, uprooted sidewalks, caused damage to a privately-owned dam, and dumped five feet of water into basements. There were more than 100 emergency calls during the storm.
SHELTON– The following message was sent by The Shelton Gift Boutique:
The Shelton Gift Boutique is selling “Valley Strong’ T‑shirts and coffee mugs with all proceeds to benefit the homeowners and businesses affected by the flood of Aug. 18.
The items were designed with the help of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The shirts are either white or gray, and the coffee mugs are 15 oz. All items are $25 each.
All proceeds will be sent to TEAM Inc., which will distribute the funds through The Valley Flood Relief Fund.
The Shelton Gift Boutique at 480 Howe Ave. in Shelton.
THEVALLEY – Gov. Ned Lamont’s office sent an email Friday afternoon updating the public on the government’s flood recovery efforts.
Flash floods killed two Oxford residents on Aug. 18 and caused millions of dollars in damage. In The Valley Indy’s coverage area, Oxford and Seymour were hardest hit.
Here are some highlights from the governor’s message:
