Southbury

Cleanup efforts underway after flooding in Southbury

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Cleanup efforts are underway in Southbury after floodwaters rushed through the area.

“Devastated, just devastated. I think it’s really very sad,” Lynn Cola-Francesco, of Southbury, said. “I experienced Sandy and Irene, I lived in Fairfield and now experiencing devastation again, so I’m very sad.”

While a lot of the floodwaters have receded, there is a lot of mud left in its place. People in town called the aftermath “a mess.”

“Overwhelmed. A little frustrated. Something we haven’t had to this extent,” Ansis Bergs, the manager of Southbury Plaza, said.

Lucas Barber jumped into action when he saw cars partially submerged in an intersection in Southbury Sunday. He helped rescue a man with a prosthetic leg and the man's dog from an SUV stuck in the flood waters.

The plaza, which has a Stop & Shop and several other businesses, is shut down because there is no power.

"We have a grocery store as well as some of the other services that are in here that people use daily,” Bergs explained.

The aftermath has disrupted things in town. Several roads are still impassable.

Photos: Heavy rain causes flooding, knocks out roads and bridges

“I was going to get, go to Nuvance to do some blood work, and now what do I do?” said Cola-Francesco. “Nobody’s there.”

Now, workers are trying to clean up the water and mud and restore power. They’ve made progress so far but they still have a way to go.

“It’s going to be a struggle I think for a few days before we can get things cleaned up enough to really see the actual damage,” Bergs added.

According to Southbury Police Department, the town is under a state of emergency. 

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