1st Selectman Kevin Christie offers an update, following Sunday’s 7-inch “rain bomb.”
The Jesup Road bridge at Imperial Avenue remains closed, while engineers assess significant storm damage and required repairs. Assessments of roads, culverts, storm drains and stormwater facilities also continue.
The Jesup Road bridge at Imperial Avenue remains closed while engineers assess storm damage and required repairs.
“We understand the distress that comes with damage to a home or business, and residents deserve a clear understanding of what our stormwater infrastructure can handle,” says director of Public Works Larry Roberts.
“Even as we assess this extraordinary storm, repeated flooding makes preparing for future events essential. We will continue to work to strengthen public infrastructure, and work with property owners on practical ways to reduce future damage.”
On Sunday, the wastewater treatment plant’s inflow peaked at a rate of approximately 12 million gallons per day — far above its usual 1.75 million per day.
Pump Station No. 10 (behind HomeGoods) flooded and shut down. The Center Street pump station sustained damage when Muddy Brook overflowed.
Town teams are assessing culverts and drainage structures affected by sediment, landscaping material, displaced dumpsters and other debris, including whether obstructions affected drainage in particular locations.
Dumpster near downtown. (Photo/Sal Liccione)
Follow-up work includes clearing obstructions, cleaning catch basins and checking equipment.
In Compo Basin, DPW reports that the marina’s check valves are operational.
The Gray’s Creek valve was open as intended; it prevents tidal flooding, and closing it during this low-tide rainfall event would not have helped drainage, officials say.
DPW has inspected the basin’s automatic pump and found it operational. However, officials cannot verify its operation during the storm because it does not record activation history.
DPW plans to observe the pump during the next major storm to verify its activation. DPW is also reviewing reports of lingering standing water near Bradley Street and Fairfield Avenue, and debris in nearby drainage structures.
Standing water on Bradley Street, 24 hours after rain ened.
Town officials are coordinating with state emergency management officials on regional impacts, damage documentation and potential recovery resources.
Residents and businesses should report September 13 property damage through the State’s CrisisTrack survey. Reports help document the full extent of damage, and support the process of determining whether the state may be eligible for FEMA or Small Business Administration disaster programs. The survey is not a claim or application for assistance, does not guarantee aid and does not replace reporting damage to an insurer.
Residents and businesses with questions about flood insurance coverage or difficulty with a flood-related claim can contact the Connecticut Insurance Department’s Consumer Affairs team: 800-203-3447 or 860-297-3900, or by email at insurance@ct.gov.
Christie says, “Our hearts go out to the residents and businesses recovering from this flood, including those displaced from their homes or unable to reopen their businesses.
“Many are still cleaning up, and some face extensive repairs and a prolonged recovery. We are focused on addressing immediate needs and supporting the work ahead.
“I am deeply grateful to our entire DPW team and all of our responding departments for their tireless work throughout the storm and the continuing recovery.”
We’re less than 7 weeks away from an important election.
How free and fair will it be?
The Brennan Center for Justice is working hard to ensure complete freedom and fairness.
The non-profit — inspired by Justice William Brennan’s devotion to democratic freedoms — does not get headlines. But the New York University School of Law-based organization works hard, behind the scenes, to protect elections, counter abuse of presidential power, and encourage transformative ideas that power change.
Their activities include research, publishing, advocacy and impact litigation.
A couple of small events have introduced the Brennan Center to Westporters.
On October 1 (5 to 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport), a larger “friend fundraiser” will raise their profile locally.
Brennan Center director Michael Waldman will join elected officials, for cocktails and conversation. The suggested donation is $100. Click here to register. Questions? Email danlev314@gmail.com.
Think the assessment on your motor vehicle is too high?
The Board of Assessment Appeals meets on September 23 (6 to 7 p.m., Town Hall lobby).
They’ll hear appeals for the 2025 Grand List. You must bring the vehicle you’re appealing. (Not all the way inside, obviously).
We have no idea what Briggs Cunningham’s C-3 Cabriolet — which he designed himself, seen here at his former Beachside Avenue home — was assessed at in the 1950s. Nor what the assessment is today. We’re guessing a lot: Only 36 were ever built.
They’ll celebrate their almost-century milestone on October 3, at a gala filled with (of course) Broadway talent.
Performers include Santino Fontana. Javier Muñoz, NaTasha Yvette Williams, and our own James Naughton and Kelli O’Hara.
Joyce Hergenhan will be honoed with the Playhouse Leadership Award.
Tickets begin at $250 (performance and post-show reception). $500 includes a pre-show cocktail party. A $750 ticket adds a premium seat. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Speaking of the Playhouse: “Ailey II: The Next Generation of Dance” lights up the Westport Country Playhouse stage next Thursday (September 24, 7 p.m.).
Ailey II — the second company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — merges the spirit and energy of early-career dance talent with the passion and creative vision of outstanding and emerging choreographers.
Ailey II’s repertory will include “In the Moment,” a meditation on presence, transformation and the profound impact of being truly seen; “Open Door,” an enlivening work set to recordings by Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and “Night Creature,” a Ailey’s buoyant choreography and Duke Ellington’s music.
Popular local musician/singer/actor Warren Bloom pops into the Westport Book Shop on September 25 (6 to 8 p.m.).
The author of “In and Out of Key” — a memoir of his career, on stage and behind the scenes — will include an introduction by artist Miggs Burroughs, stories and conversation with Warren, a Q-and-A and book signing.
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Westport litigation attorney-turned-young adult author Diana Sussman’s next book drops September 22.
“The Texter’s Secret” tackles a middle school girl dealing with threatening texts and cyberbullying. It’s a fast-paced mystery for readers ages 8 to 14, with a theme that resonates for many tweens and teens.
StartUp Westport’s first-ever Pitch Competition last year was a winner — and not just for the wheels marketplace platform that won the $20,000 first prize.
Over 75 hopefuls applied. Five were chosen as semi-finalists. For months they honed their ideas, and were mentored by StartUp Westport volunteers.
The energy was sky high at the Westport Library, for the final pitches.
The second Pitch Competition is November 19 (6 p.m., Library). The start-ups are hard at work. Who will make it to the stage?
The Westport Woman’s Club is seeking applicants for its Woman’s Scholarship.
The grant supports Fairfield County women 25 and older seeking to complete a degree or certification after following a non-traditional educational path after high school.
Scholarships are based on financial need to those who have demonstrated resilience, resourcefulness, and a commitment to growth.
Westport Police made 3 custodial arrests between September 9 and 15.
A 25-year-old Rahway, New Jersey man was charged with identity theft, forgery, larceny and unlawful possession of a personal identifying information access device, following an investigation into check fraud at Maplewood Senior Living. He was held on a $75,000 bond.
A 31-year-old Bridgeport man was charged with assault, interfering with an officer and breach of peace, following an assault, with fists and neck pressure, in a vehicle at the Wheels gas station. The man walked away from the scene, but was tracked by a canine to the Sherwood Island commuter parking lot. He was released on a $10,000 bond.
A 44-year-old Norwalk man was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol/drugs, following a report that a vehicle had pulled into a Charcoal Hill Common driveway, and the driver appeared to be intoxicated. Officers responded, and found the vehicle traveling on the wrong side of the road, nearly hitting a police vehicle. He was released on a $500 bond.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Failure to renew registration: 3 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 2
Failure to obey state traffic control signals: 2
School zone violation: 1
Texting while driving
Improper passing: 1
Unsafe movement of a stopped motor vehicle: 1
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 1
Out-of-state plate violation: 1
Littering on public property: 1.
Westport Police made one arrest for littering. Take that, Arlo Guthrie and Officer Obie!
We run an occasional full moon photo, as part of our “Westport … Naturally” series.
But a crescent moon can be interesting too. Becky Keeler captured this image over the Saugatuck Rowing Club, across the river. The pink reflection is particularly intriguing.
(Photo/Becky Keeler)
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And finally … in honor of the littering arrest, noted in the Police Reports above (perhaps the first we’ve ever seen here):
(It takes Arlo Guthrie nearly 20 minutes to tell his story. You can read ours on “06880” much more quickly. And it takes just a few seconds to click here, and support this hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
At this year’s Soundview Stroll, Westport Cub Scout Pack 39 asked strollers: “What do you love about Westport?”
If a stroller took a moment to talk with a Cub Scout or Scouter, we asked them to help us discover the places that make Westport special.
We brought them over to a huge map, from the town’s Engineering Department. It includes every road, street, property lot, park, school and geographic feature in town.
Offering 6 different colored markers, we asked people to share: Green for your favorite place to explore nature. Blue for your favorite place to play. Yellow for your favorite place to eat. Purple for a favorite place to walk, bike, or hike. Orange for a place to have fun with your friends. And draw a red heart over “a place that makes you proud of Westport.”
Cub Scouts and strollers at the Soundview Stroll, with their map.
Soundview Strollers of all ages took a moment to orient themselves on the map. In this age of Waze and GPS navigation, we learned that there are many young Westporters who have never looked at a paper map of their town.
Then there were directionally gifted people who thrilled at their fluency with maps, and the chance to help the lost find their way to their favorite places.
Our map came alive with color – dots and red hearts. Runners and bicyclists drew long purple lines for their regular routes. Students drew hearts over their pre-schools and elementary schools, and orange and blue dots over the playgrounds where they play and have fun with their friends.
The Cub Scout map.
Dots for “favorite place” to eat were hungrily drawn for Old Mill Grocery, Bartaco, Casa Me and the Black Duck (one of the most fun spots to find on the map – tracing the Saugatuck River until you’re just under “Interstate 95”).
Longshore, Old Mill Beach (with dots and hearts going all the way out to the sandbar!), Sherwood Island State Park and Burying Hill Beach – Westporters love to get outside.
Intrepid explorers put green dots on the Caryl & Edna Haskins Preserve and the Children’s Natural Playground at Schine Preserve – a couple of Westport’s hidden gems (great places to explore nature).
On our map, Compo Beach is chaotic with color. Multiple blue dots – favorite place to play – were turned into a smiley face by one clever contributor. Red hearts are all over the place (“A place that makes you proud of Westport”).
The Westport Rotary Club’s lobster — aka Rick Benson — chose Compo Beach as his favorite spot, presumably for LobsterFest. The annual event — a favorite of many residents — takes place Saturday.
Our Soundview Stroll map station was really a bit of intelligence gathering. What lights up people’s faces?
Kids love thinking about the places they play, explore nature, and have fun with their friends. Parents loved seeing the places their kids chose, and how they talked about them. The whole exercise was really about starting a conversation.
Tomorrow (Friday, September 18) is “Scouting Day in Westport.” Cub Scouts Pack 39 invites all boys and girls from kindergarten to 5th grade (along with parents and siblings) to join us at Compo’s South Beach (the far end), starting at 5 p.m.
Meet new friends, make s’mores, enjoy a campfire, hunt for crabs.
And, if we’re lucky take in a well-earned sunset!
We’ll try to answer any questions you have about Scouting in Westport. But we want to hear about what you’ve discovered too.
Cub Scout Pack 39 makes s’mores at Compo, last year.
We’ll have our giant town map and our markers. Let’s share what we love about Westport, and the wider world.
Cub Scouts explore nature, play, eat, walk, bike, hike, and have fun with friends. We hope you’ll join us.
(Westport Cub Scout Pack 39 is celebrating its 75th year of Scouting. We welcome all boys and girls, kindergarten through 5th grade. To learn more, click here.
(“06880” regularly covers youth activities in Westport — and all the places mentioned here. If you share our love for this town — and this blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
When my husband Jim and I read on social media that the picnic tables on Parker Harding Plaza along the Saugatuck River were in disrepair, it occurred to us that they were the perfect gift to our town.
I remember when Lee Papageorge, the owner of Oscar’s Deli, placed them there many years ago.
I have been in town for 46 years, and Jim for 20. We raised our children here, and wanted to say thank you.
We contacted Maxx Crowley, executive director of the Westport Downtown Association, and shared our idea.
With the help of SCA and the WDA, we found the right benches. They should last many years.
Thank you to Maxx and his team for assembling the tables, removing the old ones and cleaning up the area.
The new Parker Harding benches. (Photo/Julie Whamond)
We give these tables in honor of those we lost on 9/11. We love driving by and seeing people enjoying their lunch by the river.
Now they can do it without the fear of a massive splinter.
Thank you, Maxx, SCA, the Westport Downtown Association! You are our Unsung Heroes of the week.
PS: We’ll add Julie and Jim to the list too!
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com. “06880” is proud to honor them — and tell many other tales of town too. Please click here to help us do that, by supporting this hyper-local blog.)
This morning’s “06880” lead story — about Sunday’s flooding at Compo Beach — noted that 1st Selectman Kevin Christie had not responded to a request for comment.
Shortly after 6:30 a.m. today, he emailed: “I saw this email from Sunday evening, but did not get back to you while we were still in active emergency response mode.
“We recognize the significant impact the flooding has had on residents and businesses throughout town. We have been looking into this as part of our broader post-flood assessment, and we’ll follow up when we have more complete information.”
Compo Beach floodwaters.
More details on Sunday’s storm: Westport emergency responders handled 130 flood-related calls, rescued 13 people from vehicles, and evacuated 5 residents from a care facility.
Town officials continue working to document the extent of the damage to residences, businesses and public infrastructure.
“We recognize the disruption and damage this event has caused and sincerely thank Westport residents and businesses for their patience, cooperation and understanding,” says 1st Selectman Kevin Christie.
“We are incredibly grateful to our first responders, Public Works crews, emergency dispatchers, utility workers, volunteers and everyone who worked tirelessly to protect our community and begin the recovery process.”
Flood waters have receded. Damage assessments continue.
We talk a great deal about what it takes to make a democracy work, and how one participates.
Next week, we have an opportunity to hear from leaders who wrestle with the question — and are doing something about it.
Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University; Rajiv Vinnakota, president of Citizens & Scholars, and Daniel Lugo, president of Trinity College, are part of a national effort, involving more than 140 college leaders. They focus on preparing the next generation for active participation in our democracy.
The event — “Civics and the Next Generation of Changemakers” — is September 23, Westport). A reception begins at 6 p.m.; the panel follows at 7.
Speaking of the Library: Monday marked the dedication of its newest sculpture.
“Circle of Peace” has been drawing plenty of attention, outside the upper level entrance.
The work was donated to Westport’s Public Art Collections by an anonymous donor. It was installed at Save the Children headquarters, until the organization left Westport in 2014.
Triple Threat Academy students Sophie Goldman, Carlos Velasquez Escamilla and Camilo Velasquez Escamilla cut the ribbon. The brief ceremony ended with children singing “Song of Peace.”
1st Selectman Kevin Christie (left), Westport Arts Advisory co-chair Nancy Diamond (rear), former Save the Children CEO Carolyn Miles and Westport Library director Bill Harmer with children, at the sculpture dedication.
And … the “Career Coach” will be in the Westport Library parking lot tomorrow (Thursday, September 17), for a session on “Tips for Resumés and Cover Letters.”
There are 2 sessions ( 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.) each day; both are 2 hours long. Registrants can choose one.
The service is available to people who are exploring career opportunities, actively looking for a job, or seeking additional part-time employment. Click here to reserve a spot.
Among the casualties of Sunday’s 7 inches of rain: the Green’s Farms post office.
A sign on the door yesterday said they were closed, due to a power outage. Patrons were advised to use the Westport, Southport or Fairfield post offices.
If you have a PO box there though, you were out of luck.
And there’s no information either on how long the much-loved branch will be shut.
Green’s Farms post office door. (Photo and hat tip: Dick Lowenstein)
But preparing for the annual Westport Rotary Club fundraiser takes time.
This was the scene yesterday, at Compo Beach:
(Photo/Ed Simek)
If you’ve got tickets: See you there.
If you don’t: You’re out of luck.
The event sold out — as it always does — almost instantly.
In that case, we’ll see you in 2027.
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Seen — but not seeing well — at the Post Road/Sylvan Road intersection:
(Photo/Jonathan Alloy)
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Last year, Zhu Wang and Ye-Eun Hyun took top honors at the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition, held right here at MoCA\CT.
They embarked on a worldwide tour.
Now, ln Friday (September 18, 7 p.m.) the 2 young pianists return to Westport, for a special laureate concert. Their program includes Beethoven, Brahms and Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Three days after flood waters receded, many residents are dealing with the aftermath: flooded basements and businesses. Ruined cars. Insurance claims.
One Westport family needs a place to live, and start over.
A GoFundMe page says:
If you know Lindsay, you know her as the mom every kid wishes was theirs, the one who is first to say yes to a carpool, and whose house is always open for an impromptu get-together.
Most of all, Lindsay is the mom who always puts her two sons, Myles (13) and Charlie (11), first, no matter what.
Today, after Westport’s worst flood in over 200 years, Lindsay and her boys are facing an unimaginable and catastrophic loss. In the last 24 hours, the home that had become a source of comfort and stability for their family became unlivable, their contents and keepsakes were destroyed, and they also lost their car. After everything this family has already been through, this disaster has turned their world upside down once again.
Myles and Charlie, in 8th and 6th grade at Bedford Middle School, are deeply loved in this community, and so is their mom. So many people know how much this home meant to them as a safe place to heal and rebuild, which makes this loss even more heartbreaking.
Myles, Charlie and Lindsay.
This fundraiser will help Lindsay, Myles, and Charlie get through the aftermath of the flood by covering immediate needs and expenses as they figure out next steps.
Right now, they need the support of the community around them as they work to get back on their feet and try to regain a sense of normalcy. If you are able to give, please consider helping Lindsay and her boys through this devastating time.
Every donation, no matter the size, and every share of this fundraiser will help remind them that they are not facing this alone. Westport, we know how to do this. Please come together with compassion, love, and support for Lindsay, Myles, and Charlie.
On Sunday, 7 inches of rain inundated Westport. All over town, businesses and homes were flooded.
Among the hardest hit neighborhoods: Compo Beach. Homeowners on Soundview Drive, the 4 side roads and Bradley Street are used to storms. Many have recently raised their structures.
But this time was different. The drains that typically overflow — but eventually carry water away — may not have worked.
As water coursed through his home, a resident emailed 2 of his Representative Town Meeting members, Kristin Mott Purcell and Chris Tait. He copied “06880.” He wrote:
High tide was nearly 4 hours ago. The flood waters have receded exactly 2 inches since then.
I know, because it is very easy to mark the water levels on our (and our neighbors’) garage doors.
Two inches of receding water, as we approach low tide.
Flooded street near Compo Beach, a few hours after the rain ended.
When storm drains are clear, and the drain pipe “flaps” and pumps are working at Compo Basin, water pours into the storm drains with a vengeance after a flood event like this.
It is easy to see the “vortex funnels” above every storm drain, even if the water is 2 or 3 feet deep. And the water dissipates very quickly.
There is no vortex above the storm drains tonight. The water has nowhere to go.
I will give you 10-to-1 odds we will find out the town did not open the floodgates at the marina or Gray’s Creek. They probably also did not turn on the pump that helps move out the water.
Fairfield Avenue, after the storm passed. Water at one point was 3 feet deep, a neighbor says.
The town is not responsible for freakish, heavy rainfalls or the sudden accumulation that results from them. But we surely should have a drainage system that suits one of the wealthiest towns in the country, and that has experienced this problem time and again over the past few decades.
I want to work with both of you to get to the bottom of this issue this week. We have sustained a massive amount of damage, much of which could have been avoided or minimized, if we could have gotten the water out of our house quickly.
Instead, it has been nearly 9 hours that we have had more than a foot of water inside our living spaces. That is unacceptable.
“06880” spoke with RTM member Chris Tait yesterday. He says:
“I talked to (Public Works director) Larry Roberts. He told me the pumps were running, but the rain backed up the system. They’re 12-inch pumps, that work over a 24-hour period. Not right away.”
Tait says Roberts told him that standing water on Bradley Street — visible Monday — was caused by debris clogging the pipes.
The RTM member will meet with DPW engineers, to see whether a drain by the Minute Man monument — broken several years ago — was fixed properly.
Flooding on Bradley Street at Fairfield Avenue, Monday afternoon.
Compo Beach resident Jim Hood insists, “It doesn’t add up.”
He says he stood on top of a storm drain during the storm, and could not see “even a ripple. If water was going down even slowly, I’d see it. For 7 or 8 hours, there was nothing.
“Then suddenly, it went down quickly. It defies the laws of physics.”
“06880” reached out to 1st Selectman Kevin Christie for comment. As of last night, he had not responded.
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