Many longtime residents of southwestern Connecticut remember the incredible flooding downpours 52 years ago this week. A three-day deluge the week of June 17 brought nearly 10 inches of rain to the region, flooded residents out of their homes, forced postponement of school graduation ceremonies, and caused widespread damage.
Personally, I’ll never forget those three days since our basement was flooded beyond belief. I actually thought our house was going to float away. The washing machine was floating. Firefighters, neighbors, and relatives helped my family furiously pump water out of the basement in what can only be called a losing battle.
I distinctly remember riding with my father to pick up another sump pump at a friend’s house in the middle of the night while our next-door neighbors helped out downstairs.
How much rain fell during the three day period? Too much. The monsoon began June 17, 1972, with nearly two-and-a-half inches (2.37″) of rain. The next day, June 18, brought nearly an inch (0.98″). But the deadliest blow happened the next day — June 19 — when more than a half-foot (6.18″) of rain buried the region. That one day total is nearly the average rainfall for two full months!
Cumulatively, 9.53″ of rain fell at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford. According to the National Weather Service, it marked “the heaviest flooding damage since the Fall of 1955.”
According to the front-page article in June 19, 1972 edition of
The Bridgeport Post, “A civil defense warning was issued today at 9:10 a.m. concerning flooding in the Southern Connecticut area. The report, which came over the air from the city’s Emergency Reporting Service, stated that the rain would continue through most of the day, and that flash floods were expected to occur.”
The following day, the newspaper reported that “Many residents who had never experienced water accumulations before, were still busy pumping out and drying up cellars. Fire departments throughout the area were besieged by requests from residents seeking pumping assistance.” One storm-related death was reported when a gentleman was electrocuted as he waded through two-feet of water in his basement of his home. The victim came into contact with live wiring as he was repairing the furnace.
Fire authorities had warned that flooded basements posed hazards as water threatened to “short out” furnace motors. Civil defense officials in the state estimated that a damage toll reaching as high as $1 million was expected. The American Red Cross established emergency shelters at its headquarters in Fairfield and Darien. Adding insult to injury was the threat of even more rain from Tropical Storm Agnes through Wednesday, June 21.
What do I most remember about that memorable three-day deluge? The Fairfield Woods Junior High School ceremony, which was originally scheduled for June 21 at Andrew Warde High School, was pushed back one day. We were extremely disappointed, since we couldn't wait to walk into our new high school as soon-to-be-freshmen at Warde.
I also remember my cousin, Pat, a Vietnam veteran, blew out his knee while attempting to start a generator in our backyard. I can vividly remember him being wheeled into the back of the ambulance in a driving rainstorm while neighbors watched in disbelief from our backyard. He eventually married my next-door-neighbor, Ruth Ann, who stopped by with a home-cooked meal and met Pat.
The total rainfall for the entire month of June in 1972 was nearly a foot-and-a-half (17.7″). To put it in perspective, that's nearly a half-year's worth of rain.
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