Monroe is another community working to clean up and recover from damage following Sunday’s devastating floods. Especially the Stevenson section of the community.
Monroe is another community working to clean up and recover from damage following Sunday's devastating floods. Especially the Stevenson section of the community.
Route 34 impacted up the road from the Lake Zoar Drive-In. Meaning an eerily quiet stretch of business where the road closes.
“It was just constant downpour and everyone kept saying it will stop at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 and it never stopped,” said Chirstian Pennino, who works at the Lakeside Wine and Liquor store.
Water rolled off the hills and created what Pennino described as a river on the roadway, stopping traffic at a busy intersection.
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“People were just stuck, couldn’t move, getting impatient, walking up and down the road talking to people trying to figure things out,” Pennino said.
When the water subsided, people went on their way, but now, the stretch of Route 34 by the Liquor store, a ghost town.
“It’s definitely hurting us a little bit, we aren’t getting all that back-and-forth traffic we normally would,” Pennino said.
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But according to the town, big progress has already been made, specifically on the local roads damaged.
“Water came down that river and it went through a little area and it destroyed the area,” First Selectman Terrence Rooney said.
In four days, they have been able to bring back online all but one local roadway damaged in the flood. But he also understands opening roads isn’t the only recovery needed, and they still have a long way to go.
“Once you go through something like this it's tragic, many people have experienced loss and things they never expected,” Rooney said
Rooney had just come off a tour of Lake Zoar to understand the damage done to the lake, and to see for himself the debris left behind.
He described boats, toys, wood debris, propane tanks and more. As crews continue cleaning, he says he has also seen incredible resiliency.
“One thing about an event like this, it shows you the human spirit,” he said.
A crew in charge of removing some of the debris for the town of Newtown, documented some of the debris when they arrived.
The water eventually finding its way to Lake Zoar. Hillsides sliding into the lake.
“If you drive around the lake there is massive destruction everywhere,” Richard Simon with Shoreline Diving said.
He is assisting the town of Newtown with removing boats and docs from the water. He estimates, by Friday, when they anticipate being done with recovery, they will have salvaged a total of 50 boats from the lake. The damage serving as a great reminder.
“Water is a great equalizer,” he said.
Down at the Stevenson Dam, First Light, the group in charge of the lake, is also working on debris removal, relieving some of the pressure on the dam.
According to the first selectman, they are working in phases, removing some of the large debris before they relieve the dam of smaller material.
Back up the hill along Route 34, Pennino waits for business to return to normal, grateful for the crews hard at work around the clock.
“My heart goes out to all those guys putting in all those hours,” he said.
Route 34 remains closed for the time being, and its still unclear exactly when they will be able to get the road open.
The town hopes to have their last local road, Cottage Street, open by the end of next week.
