Wild weather causes tornadoes and chaos in CT
East Litchfield, CT - Extreme weather brings damage to region
High winds, rain, hail and tornadoes made for a day of wild weather in Connecticut on July 22nd. Bristol, East Litchfield, Terryville and Thomaston all confirmed tornado touchdowns with winds of 100 miles per hour. The funnel clouds formed between 3:35 and 4:15, in the various towns.
The National Weather Service reported that the tornadoes were classified as an EF1 on the Fujita Scale, which classifies tornadoes. This classification is the second tier and is for tornadoes with sustained winds between 86 and 110 miles per hour.
After the storm an estimated 48,000 residents were without power and many areas had significant damage as a direct result of the tornadoes. The tornadoes had no injuries or fatalities reported from it.
These storms follow on the heels of heavy storms on June 24th which devastated the Bridgeport region. That storm brought heavy rains and 79 mile per hour winds. This storm brought down buildings, power lines, church steeples, uprooted trees, and made side streets impassable. Building materials flew around in the strong winds which came through the area mid-afternoon.
Mayor Bill Finch reported that 9 buildings had collapsed completely or partially. A state of emergency was declared and at least 50 families were left homeless after the storm. Twenty-five people were admitted to hospitals with minor injuries and one person was reported in serious condition.
For both storms the state applied for emergency assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was approved for a deadline extension to assess damage caused by the storm. Governor M. Jodi Rell stated that, "Joint teams of state and federal officials have been in the field for several days and we have been working with municipal officials and affected homeowners to gather all the information we can about property damage and other effects. If there is any possibility of getting aid for affected homeowners and businesses, I am determined to explore it to its fullest."
As the state cleans up after these storms, residents are taking stock and repairing their homes. If your home is in need of basement waterproofing, crawl space, or foundation repair, contact Connecticut Basement Systems today. They perform foundation repair, crawl space repair and basement waterproofing in Litchfield, Bristol, Thomaston, Torrington, Norwalk and all of CT and Westchester County, NY. Get your free estimate today. To view video of the storm see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oThEUuZ8qg
