Untold Stories of Irene

The Fire Department was flooded with calls during Hurricane Irene a few weeks ago -- including one from an elderly widow who wanted to tell how her late husband spared their house.

Donna Cooke, supervising dispatcher, took a call from the recent widow, who credited her husband's spirit with saving her home while she watched her neighbor's house get destroyed.

"It's my husband, as an angel, blocking my house," Cooke recalled the woman saying during the emotional exchange. [Click on video.]

Fire Chief Louis LaVecchia invited the media to fire headquarters recently to hear the stories that went untold during the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, which was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

He showed the Emergency Operations Center on the second floor of fire headquarters where representatives from major organizations -- the Police Department, Health Department and United Illuminating included -- gathered during Irene.

He introduced some of the civil servants who made a difference during the crucial days before, during and after the storm that ravaged the city. Irene caused flooding, power outages, gas leaks and other dangerous conditions.

Mandatory evacuations from coastal areas were called for the first time in 25 years.  Some residents stayed behind anyway -- and had to be rescued from their homes as water rose 6 feet in some areas.

Water Rescuer Lt. Stephen Rabel told of a man who refused to evacuate without his family or best friend as water rose to a dangerous level.

"This individual, he would not leave without his dog," Rabel said.

Ultimately, the whole family -- the man, his wife, two kids and their canine, who was put in a crate -- was rescued with the help of a Natonal Guard truck, which could make it through the flood.

There were no fatalities or casualties in Milford during the storm.

"I am extremely proud of the firefighters, all of them stepping up big time..." the chief said.

The Fire Department handled 1,028 emergency calls to 911 from Aug. 26, the Friday before the storm, till Sept. 5, according to Emergency Operations Center Coordinator Dan Worrell.

The department usually handles up to 8,000 911 calls a year.

LaVecchia said he'd give the department a high grade for its performance during the storm.

"An A," he said, "if not an A-plus."

An official post-storm analysis has yet to be done.