Town officials said it could take weeks to repair the damage caused to Seymour’s roads and parks from Friday’s freakish flash flood.
Gaping holes badly damaged at least six roads Friday. The only street that remained closed as of Monday afternoon was the area of Pearl and Day streets, according to police.
The town’s Department of Public Works spent an estimated $15,000 in overtime over the weekend. Town officials are still assessing how much it will cost to make repairs.
First Selectman Paul Roy said he hopes to learn from the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (formerly the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security) as to whether Seymour will qualify for assistance or reimbursement from the state or federal government.
“It’s unbelievable,” Roy said of the damage.
He began contacting state officials and legislators Monday.
To that end, State Rep. Len Green, Jr., R‑Seymour, sent out a statement Monday saying the state is ready to help.
“Immediately following the storms I toured the area to assess the damage and see if I could lend a hand,” Greene said in a prepared statement. “After seeing the utter devastation caused in such a short time I reached out to both local officials and Governor Malloy to offer my assistance and to underscore the serious impact the storms had on our community.”
Malloy’s office contacted the State Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to coordinate efforts between state and local officials to asses the damage in Seymour.
Based on initial reports, Scott DeVico, spokesman for the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said it does not appear Seymour will qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
He said there may be other state departments with funding help, but FEMA is not likely to be among of them.
Damage roughly extended from Allen’s Plumbing Supplies, on Route 67, down to the Legion Pool area, a little more than 1.5 miles.
Among the damage from Friday’s downpour:
Chatfield Park and the adjoining nature trail: Closed until further notice, because of extensive washout damage. Areas where there were wood chips are now craters and someone could fall into the ditches. Old railroad washed up onto the playing field.
The Seymour Land Trust Facility at Legion Pool: Including all walking trails, bridges, and Legion Pool itself. Closed until further notice.
School Street: Washed out. Click the video at the top of this story to hear from people who watched the washout as it happened.
The bridge on Pearl Street: Compromised and is closed to traffic
The Seymour Ambulance Association: Was flooded Friday.
The Seymour Public Works: Flooded Friday.
Seymour Town Hall: Flooded Friday.
Stop & Shop and Walgreen’s: Water damage
“Seymour has never been hit like this,” said Public Works Director Dennis Rozum.
The storm came suddenly around the later afternoon rush hour Friday and made a flooded mess of Route 8, Route 67 and other roads along the corridor.
It left downed trees, downed power lines, and turned road shoulders into deep ditches.
Crews worked all weekend to clear the mess of trees and power lines.
Some of the roads with washouts included Martha Street, Farrel Street, Capricorn Drive, Bunting Road and Skokorat Street, according to Rozum.
Summer downpours happen all the time — but the severity of Friday’s storm was unusual, said meteorologist Bill Jacquemin of the Connecticut Weather Center in Danbury.
He said radar estimates of the rain in Seymour were as high as eight inches over the afternoon and evening Friday, which he said is twice the normal amount of rain for the town in the entire month of July. The rainfall was comparable to what one might see during a hurricane, Jacquemin said.
There was an unusual stillness in the atmosphere Friday, allowing the heavy rain to park over Seymour.
Rain was falling as hard as two inches per hour in some parts of Seymour, he said.
Westchester County, N.Y., and Middletown, CT, had similar thunderstorms Friday, he said.
“It was probably the worst (for Seymour) in decades,” Jacquemin said.
