People Are Rescued From Cars Amid Flash Floods in Connecticut

Heavy rainfall in southwestern Connecticut led to mudslides, washed-out roads and flash flooding on Sunday, with some towns reporting as much as nine inches of rain.

The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties, as overfilled rivers crested their banks and additional thunderstorms were predicted. Emergency crews carried out widespread water rescues, especially in the Southbury area, and several mudslides were reported, according to the National Weather Service.

Rivers breached roadways in several places in and around Southbury and Newtown, with some images on social media showing cars submerged up to their windshields. Chris Grillo, the police chief of Southbury, said that there had been no injuries reported, though the police had helped several people out of flooded vehicles.

The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management warned of a severe risk of flooding around Southbury into the evening. Several roads were also closed in the Danbury area.

“Please avoid flooded roadways and turn around don’t drown,” the department urged on social media.

Elizabeth Savio, 23, a team manager at Panera Bread in Southbury, said Sunday afternoon that the intersection in front of the shopping center, which includes the store, had completely flooded, and that four cars had become submerged in the floodwaters.

She said that she had watched as a man swam to one of the cars to rescue the driver, and that she had helped the two of them reach Panera. The rescuer, Lucas Barber, then swam back to the car to retrieve the man’s prosthetic leg and his golden retriever.