It’s been 3 days since Saturday’s rain.
The few-hours-long deluge wasn’t a particularly significant weather event — not compared with, say, Superstorm Sandy or Hurricane Isaias.
But it was enough to flood much of Westport.
Nyala Farm
72 hours later, it’s easy to forget the rivers and streams that overflowed their banks, the waterfalls that cascaded out of nowhere, and the soggy basements.
But — as several residents have pointed out — what happened after a couple of inches of rain is really our new normal.
Muddy Brook, at Greens Farms Road.
Construction that changed the natural topography of our town, the felling of trees, the installation of pavement — all contribute to more (and more dangerous) floods in Westport.
Water needs someplace to go. We can either help it, or let it run its course.
Nico Eisenberger and Robin Bates have lived in Westport for 10 years. When there’s a big rain, Robin heads out to see how all the little rivers and ponds — some hidden, some not — take on new forms.
On Saturday, Nico says, “we saw some of the biggest changes we’ve ever seen here. I know there have been bigger wet weather events, but this was definitely up there.”
Here — before the weekend recedes too far in the rear view mirror, and also before the next rains — are a few reminders that, in the memorable phrase: “Mother Nature bats last.”
Kowalsky Farm on Clapboard Hill Road. (All photos/Robin Bates)
We did this to ourselves. And we’re not stopping. Just look at the current proposal for new construction at #125 Riverside. It’s almost entirely in an established flood zone. What’s one more encroachment?
Thank you for documenting this for us. I’m curious how the flood and erosion control board assess the risks and consequence of building on the site on Riverside, as well as other areas in town. It would be helpful if they, or others, commented on these images.
I’m not sorry I don’t live in Westport any more.