By Ken Valenti

WESTPORT–Town departments continue to assess the damage done by yesterday’s flash flooding, but on the street, things have mostly returned to normal following the storm that dumped six or seven inches of water on the town, authorities said.

“For the most part things have calmed down,” said Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Cohen. The department fielded some 120 calls between yesterday morning and today. A few were still coming in from people reporting electrical issues, such as equipment that was shorting out after being submerged, among other matters, he said.

Eversource Energy reported on its website that 13 of its 12,836 Westport customers are impacted by outages as of about 2 p.m.

The eastern end of Jesup Road, from Imperial Avenue to Bay Street, is closed because of damage to the bridge at Imperial Avenue, Cohen and the town said. Other than that, police and fire officials said they knew of no closed roads.

But town departments are checking bridges, buildings and other public and private property that may have been impacted, officials said.

“They’re trying to get a handle on what as far as infrastructure has been damaged as well as private property (damage),” Cohen said.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury responding to the emergency, Cohen said. But that was the only injury reported among responders and residents, he said. The flood, however, was a reminder of the unexpected dangers floods bring, he said. Even water that looks like it would be easy to wade through may be moving more powerfully and contain more debris than can be seen.

“People can get overwhelmed very quickly,” he said.

Representative Town Meeting member Jennifer Johnson, D9, captured videos of flood waters coursing through a number of spots, including Evergreen Avenue, Sconset Square and Post Road E.

Yesterday, first responders rescued 13 people trapped in their vehicles by the flood waters. Cohen said other residents, maybe 15 to 20, were rescued from homes. No residents forced from their homes requested shelter, he said. They either were able to return homes or stay with neighbors or family, he said.

Earthplace is closed today – classes, programs and trails – for building maintenance and to recover from the storm, the educational environmental center announced on social media.

The town also provided a method for Westporters to report flood-related damage and unmet needs through the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) Damage Self Report. The information will help state and local emergency management officials document the extent of the damage and determine whether Connecticut may be eligible for post-disaster programs through the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Officials noted that submitting the survey is not a claim or request for assistance and does not guarantee that disaster relief or other recovery assistance will be available.

If your home or property was impacted by yesterday’s flooding, please complete this survey. Residents should also report property damage to their insurance company.

Ken Valenti

^{_{A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.}}