New Haven Firefighters Rescue 16 People During Flash Floods

New Haven Firefighters Rescued 16 People in Three Hours

New Haven firefighters rescued 16 people during the flash flooding of Sunday, Sept. 13, including five people from a CTtransit bus that became stuck on Temple Street, according to Fire Chief Daniel Coughlin. Firefighters carried the people through high water to a dry area about 15 feet away and rescued three additional people from cars near the bus.

The flooding followed torrential rain that affected all parts of New Haven. City Engineer Giovanni Zinn said rainfall totals ranged from 3 inches to 4.5 inches in three hours, making it a 20- to 100-year rain event.

“That was a very large rainstorm,” Zinn said.

Nine Flooding Incidents Hit New Haven

The New Haven Fire Department responded to nine separate flooding incidents during the storm, Coughlin said. Locations included the Tweed New Haven Airport parking lot, Humphrey and James streets, the area near the dump on Middletown Avenue, the post office on Brewery Street and 1215 Quinnipiac Ave.

Coughlin said the flash flooding unfolded over about three hours. Firefighters used small inflatable boats, flotation devices and wetsuits to work in different water conditions, including swift-moving currents.

The bus rescue required firefighters to carry all five people from the stalled bus to nearby dry ground. The department also rescued three people from vehicles around the bus.

“No matter how many times we tell them,” Coughlin said, people still drive through flooded roadways.

Officials Are Documenting Flooded Areas for Future Work

The city’s engineering department is documenting flooding during major weather events to improve future modeling and assumptions, Zinn said. He said the city is spending money and resources to address flooding in problematic, low-lying areas.

“Each site has its own very specific characteristics that we have to work through and try to mitigate,” Zinn said. “It’s a moving target.”

Coughlin said the department has continued to perform flood rescues, but he described the recent events as increasingly concentrated heavy-rain situations that develop within hours rather than over an entire day.

For residents, the fire chief’s warning was direct: flooded roadways remain dangerous, and drivers should not attempt to pass through them.

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