Officials Remember March 2010 Storm

Homes evacuated, businesses shuttered and bridges washed out.

The spring storm in March 2010 caused some of the worst flooding in recent history. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the heavy rain resulted in record-breaking river flows and more than seven inches of rain fell across southeastern Connecticut.

First Selectman Edward Haberek Jr., recalled that the town was hosting an economic roundtable the morning of March 30, 2010 at the Mystic Hilton.

“I was getting calls that the water was coming down fast,” Haberek said. The town opened its Emergency Operations Center that morning.

“Making my way from Mystic to Pawcatuck, several roads were already washed out,” Haberek said. “It was a very grave situation.”

The storm, Chief Frank Hilbert recalled, caused not just the typical flooding due to rapidly rising small streams but also flooded a large amount properties that had never had water problems before.

As the day of March 30, 2010 wore on, the situation got worse. Bridges were out, Aquarion Water Company had to open up their dam, and downtown Pawcatuck was evacuated that night.

“We also had to deal with the drawbridge being closed to traffic due to erosion concerns,” Hilbert said, adding that they are prepared for the upcoming construction closing of the bridge. The drawbridge will be closed for 54-hours beginning at 11 p.m. on April 5 to 5 a.m. on April 8.

Captain Jerry Desmond estimated the department responded to about 70 calls for water emergencies, disabled vehicles, and other storm related issues including calls for the fire department.

“It was a very busy time,” Desmond said. “There were a lot of issues, a couple of areas to evacuate, concerns about erosion, and people from the state evaluating bridges.”

It was by all measures one of the worst floods in recent memory.

But, Desmond added, knowing where the vulnerabilities in town are, including the drainage and road issues is valuable information for the future. “It heightens residents' awareness and prepares the public for the future,” Desmond said.

Haberek said the town had learned a lot from previous storms including the importance of increasing communication and keeping the emergency operations center in one area. But Haberek said the March 2010 flood revealed drainage issues and also stressed the importance of increasing communication with government officials and emergency management in Hartford and with counterparts in Rhode Island.

“I learned that 90 percent of the people are very appreciative of what we do and realize that we were extremely busy and at times took a while to respond to them, 10 percent wanted to know what took us so long and why they weren’t on the top of the list and a small percentage of that, 10 percent were just plain disagreeable,” Hilbert said.

Hilbert said the department dewatered several hundred properties and rescued three people and several pets. The department had over 20 dewatering pumps and several larger gasoline powered pumps running constantly for several days after the storm.

“Amazing, was the collaborative work of the different agencies and just the people in the community helping each other,” Haberek said.