1955 Connecticut floods

Last updated
1955 Connecticut floods
Hurricane Diane Connecticut flood damage.jpg
Flood damage in Winsted, Connecticut, from Diane
DateMid-August 1955
Location Farmington, Putnam, Waterbury, and Winsted
Cause Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane
Deaths87
Property damage$200 million in 1955 US dollars

The Flood of 1955 was one of the worst floods in Connecticut's history. Two back-to-back hurricanes saturated the land and several river valleys in the state, causing severe flooding in August 1955. The rivers most affected were the Mad River and Still River in Winsted, the Naugatuck River, the Farmington River, and the Quinebaug River. [1] The towns that suffered much loss include Farmington, Putnam, Naugatuck, Waterbury, and Winsted. 87 people died during the flooding, [2] and property damage across the state was estimated at more than $200 million, in 1955 figures. [3] The floods prompted changes in safety measures, river monitoring, and zoning laws.

Contents

Background

Causes

The flooding was caused by the rains from two hurricanes, Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane. On August 11, Hurricane Connie swept through the East Coast—missing Connecticut, but bringing about 4 to 6 inches of rainfall to the state on August 13. [4] Hurricane Diane came through the following week. The path of Hurricane Diane came closer to Connecticut, after soaking up waters from the Atlantic Ocean. [5] Once the hurricane reached the coast of Long Island, it dumped an additional 13 to 20 inches of rain on Connecticut over a two-day period. [6] The heavy rains on already-saturated ground made several rivers in the region begin to overflow. Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island experienced flooding, but Connecticut was hardest hit in New England. [7] New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania were also hit by flooding caused by the two hurricanes. Two months later, another storm brought an additional 12 to 14 inches of rain to New England—hitting some communities that had been affected by the August floods, and others that had escaped. [8]

Flooding

The rains poured down for much of the day Thursday, August 18, starting at about 3:00 AM. By 11:00 PM, the Shepaug River and brooks in the western portion of the state had begun to overflow their banks. [9] In Waterbury, the water reached an estimated 35 feet in places, and was reported to have moved at rates up to 50 miles per hour. [10] While major rivers, such as the Connecticut River, had flood control measures in place, smaller rivers and brooks did not. That is where the major damage occurred. [11] The Housatonic River in Western Connecticut reached 24.50 feet—its highest levels until October 1955, when it again reached 24.50 feet. [12] On noon of August 20, 1955, President Eisenhower declared Connecticut a "major disaster area". [13]

Rescue efforts

Police forces, volunteer firefighters, Connecticut National Guard members, the Coast Guard, and average citizens worked together to rescue people from their homes and other buildings where they became stranded. [14] At 1:00 AM on August 19, as the water began rising over the banks of several rivers, Gov. Abraham Ribicoff mobilized the National Guard. More than 25 helicopters—from the U.S. Navy and local companies like Sikorsky—were used to rescue hundreds of people from rooftops and tree branches where they clung to life. [15] The flood hit the Naugatuck river with such fury that as many as 500 people in the Waterbury area had to be rescued by helicopter. [16]

Impact

Damage

A Sunday-Herald reporter, who flew over the region the day after the floods, described the area as "a staggering toll of death in a shroud of mud". [17] The death toll was 87 people—including people who suffered heart attacks while being rescued. [18]

The following damage figures were outlined in the state report three months after the flood: [19]

In New England, more than 200 dams suffered partial or total failure. [20] More than 50 coffins floated away from a cemetery in Seymour. [21] The state shipped in 300 temporary housing units from Groton, to help provide shelter for the newly homeless. [22]

Changes

The floods prompted the United States Army Corps of Engineers to build $70 million worth of dams and flood walls along several Connecticut rivers. In 1960, the Army Corps built the Thomaston Dam. The Thomaston Dam on the Naugatuck River is one of the largest flood control measures erected by the Army Corps of Engineers. [23] Following the building of the Thomaston Dam, the Corps built the Northfield Brook Dam, in 1965; the Hop Brook dam in Naugatuck, in 1968; and the Colebrook Dam, in 1969. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomaston, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Thomaston is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The population was 7,442 at the 2020 census. The urban center of the town is the Thomaston census-designated place, with a population of 1,928 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beacon Falls, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Beacon Falls is a town in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. It lies in the southwestern part of the state, and is bisected by the Naugatuck River. The population was 6,000 at the 2020 census, down from 6,049 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Prospect is a town in the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Waterbury to its north, and is on the north-eastern fringes of the New York metropolitan area. The population was estimated to be 9,401 in 2020. Prospect is part of the Waterbury NECTA and of the historical New Haven County. Prospect is also a member of the regional health district Chesprocott, along with Cheshire and Wolcott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolcott, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Wolcott is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. It is primarily residential, with a population of 16,142 as of the 2020 United States Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naugatuck, Connecticut</span> Consolidated borough and town in Connecticut, US

Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, had a population of 31,519 as of the 2020 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterbury, Connecticut</span> City in Connecticut, United States

Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 Census. The city is 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Hartford and 77 miles (124 km) northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the largest city in the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region and second-largest city in New Haven County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Connie</span> Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1955

Hurricane Connie was a Category 4 hurricane that contributed to significant flooding across the eastern United States in August 1955, just days before Hurricane Diane affected the same general area. Connie formed on August 3 from a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It moved quickly west-northwestward, strengthening into a hurricane by August 4. Connie first posed a threat to the Lesser Antilles, ultimately passing about 105 mi (169 km) north of the island group. In the United States Virgin Islands, three people died due to the hurricane, and a few homes were destroyed. The outer rainbands produced hurricane-force wind gusts and intense precipitation, reaching 8.65 in (220 mm) in Puerto Rico. On the island, Connie destroyed 60 homes and caused crop damage. After affecting Puerto Rico, Connie reached maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (230 km/h), and a barometric pressure of 944 mbar (27.9 inHg), as observed by the Hurricane Hunters on August 7. The hurricane later weakened, slowed its forward motion, and turned to the north, striking North Carolina on August 12 as a Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Connie was the first of three damaging tropical cyclones in the 1955 hurricane season to hit the state, along with Diane and Ione. The storm progressed inland after moving through the Chesapeake Bay region, and was later absorbed by a cold front over Lake Huron on August 15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Diane</span> Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 1955

Hurricane Diane was the first Atlantic hurricane to cause more than an estimated $1 billion in damage, including direct costs and the loss of business and personal revenue. It formed on August 7 from a tropical wave between the Lesser Antilles and Cape Verde. Diane initially moved west-northwestward with little change in its intensity, but began to strengthen rapidly after turning to the north-northeast. On August 12, the hurricane reached peak sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h), making it a Category 2 hurricane. Gradually weakening after veering back west, Diane made landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina, as a strong tropical storm on August 17, just five days after Hurricane Connie struck near the same area. Diane weakened further after moving inland, at which point the United States Weather Bureau noted a decreased threat of further destruction. The storm turned to the northeast, and warm waters from the Atlantic Ocean helped produce record rainfall across the northeastern United States. On August 19, Diane emerged into the Atlantic Ocean southeast of New York City, becoming extratropical two days later and completely dissipating by August 23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naugatuck Railroad</span>

The Naugatuck Railroad is a common carrier railroad owned by the Railroad Museum of New England and operated on tracks leased from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The original Naugatuck Railroad was a railroad chartered to operate through south central Connecticut in 1845, with the first section opening for service in 1849. In 1887 the line was leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and became wholly owned by 1906. At its greatest extent the Naugatuck ran from Bridgeport north to Winsted. Today's Naugatuck Railroad, formed in 1996, runs from Waterbury to the end of track in Torrington, Connecticut. From Waterbury south to the New Haven Line, Metro-North Railroad operates commuter service on the Waterbury Branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterbury Branch</span> Metro-North Railroad branch in Connecticut

The Waterbury Branch is a branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, running north from a junction in the Devon section of Milford to Waterbury, Connecticut. Originally built as the Naugatuck Railroad, it once continued north to Winsted. The part north of Waterbury is now leased from CDOT by the Railroad Museum of New England, which operates excursion trains from Thomaston station through their operating subsidiary Naugatuck Railroad ; this name was chosen in homage of the original railroad. The trackage ends in Torrington, but Metro-North service on the branch ends at Waterbury. There are conceptual plans to extend service from its current terminus in Waterbury to Hartford via Bristol and New Britain. Currently, riders that want to continue to New Britain and Hartford have to transfer to an express bus operated by CTtransit at Waterbury. All trains on this branch operate as shuttles between Waterbury and Bridgeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut's 5th congressional district</span> U.S. House district for Connecticut

Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the western part of the state and spanning across parts of Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven, and Hartford Counties, the district runs from Meriden and New Britain in central Connecticut, westward to Danbury and the surrounding Housatonic Valley, encompassing the Farmington Valley, Upper Naugatuck River Valley, and the Litchfield Hills. The district also includes most of Waterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naugatuck River</span> River in Connecticut, United States

The Naugatuck River is a 40.2-mile-long (64.7 km) river in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Its waters carve out the Naugatuck River Valley in the western reaches of the state, flowing generally due south and eventually emptying into the Housatonic River at Derby, Connecticut and thence 11 miles (18 km) to Long Island Sound. The Plume and Atwood Dam in Thomaston, completed in 1960 following the Great Flood of 1955, creates a reservoir on the river and is the last barrier to salmon and trout migrating up from the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Company</span> US electric street railway company

The Connecticut Company was the primary electric street railway company in the U.S. state of Connecticut, operating both city and rural trolleys and freight service. It was controlled by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, which also controlled most steam railroads in the state. After 1936, when one of its major leases was dissolved, it continued operating streetcars and, increasingly, buses in certain Connecticut cities until 1976, when its assets were purchased by the state government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattatuck State Forest</span>

Mattatuck State Forest is a Connecticut state forest spread over twenty parcels in the towns of Waterbury, Plymouth, Thomaston, Watertown, Litchfield, and Harwinton. The Naugatuck River runs through a portion of the forest. The largest section of the forest is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Waterbury. The Leatherman's Cave, named after the vagabond Leatherman of the late 19th century, is located in Thomaston near the Mattatuck Trail, 1/4 mile west of the junction with the Jericho Trail.

Waterville is a neighborhood of the city of Waterbury, Connecticut. It was formerly known as Pine Hole and Haydensville. It has been home to industrial and manufacturing facilities from the 1960s onward. The ethnic makeup of Waterville consists of Italian, Irish, French and Latin American. This section of Waterbury contains two parks and the main office of the city's Department of Transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Route 262</span> State highway in Connecticut, US

Route 262 is a state highway in west central Connecticut running in a "U" pattern from Watertown to Plymouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Naugatuck Valley</span> Place in Connecticut, United States

The Central Naugatuck Valley is a region of Connecticut in New Haven and Litchfield counties located approximately 70 miles (110 km) northeast of New York City and 110 miles (180 km) southwest of Boston, United States. The region comprises 13 towns: Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oxford, Prospect, Southbury, Thomaston, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, and Woodbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitestone Cliffs Trail</span>

The Whitestone Cliffs Trail is a 1.7-mile (2.7 km) Blue-Blazed hiking trail in the Waterbury area in Thomaston and Plymouth, Litchfield County, Connecticut. It is contained almost entirely in a section of the Mattatuck State Forest. The mainline trail is a loop trail with one connector trail to the Jericho Blue-Blazed Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mad River (Connecticut)</span> River in Connecticut, United States

The Mad River is a river that flows through northern New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee. "Report of the Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee." (1955). pg. 1.
  2. ↑ LeBlanc, Jeanne A. "The Lost." Hartford Courant, August 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  3. ↑ Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee. "Report of the Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee." (1955). pg. 1.
  4. ↑ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "The Floods of Hurricanes Connie and Diane." Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  5. ↑ Shea, Jim. "When Rivers Raged" Hartford Courant. Aug. 14, 2005. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  6. ↑ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "The Floods of Hurricanes Connie and Diane." Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "The Floods of Hurricanes Connie and Diane." Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  8. ↑ Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee. "Report of the Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee." (1955). pg. 7.
  9. ↑ Waterbury Time Machine. "Flood of 1955." Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  10. ↑ Shea, Jim. "Fury Unleashed." Hartford Courant. Aug. 15, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  11. ↑ Shea, Jim. "When Rivers Raged" Hartford Courant. Aug. 14, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  12. ↑ National Weather Service. "Historical Crests for the Housatonic River at the Stevenson Dam." Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Eisenhower". thefloodof1955. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ Hartford Courant Staff. "Flood Ravages Whole State." Hartford Courant. Aug. 20, 1955. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  15. ↑ Shea, Jim. "When Rivers Raged" Hartford Courant. Aug. 14, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Helicopter Evacuation". thefloodof1955.com. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  17. ↑ Allen, Tom. "Even the Dead Were Torn From Their Graves." Sunday Herald. A Flood Disaster Appeal special supplement. Jan. 15, 1956.
  18. ↑ LeBlanc, Jeanne A. "The Lost." Hartford Courant, August 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  19. ↑ Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee. "Report of the Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee." (1955). pg. 3.
  20. ↑ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. " The Floods of Hurricanes Connie and Diane." Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  21. ↑ Shea, Jim. "A State of Shock". Hartford Courant. Aug. 16, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  22. ↑ Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee. "Report of the Connecticut Flood Recovery Committee." (1955). pg. 1.
  23. ↑ "Thomaston Dam". nbcconnecticut. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  24. ↑ Fillo, Maryellen. "Now, Dams and Reservoirs, Doppler and Satellites." Archived 2014-01-07 at the Wayback Machine Hartford Courant. Aug. 15, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.