Rain Rain Go Away....

"Come on back another day!"... or at least that is what I heard the town folk were singing along the wetlands. The Rain is coming in like a Lion ahead of those infamous "April Showers." Perhaps we can start April with the old proverb that it will be a "deluvian" month.

But the rain is not all bad news for some. Especially those in the cleaning and restoration business. Many homeowners who have fallen victim to flooding are expected to file insurance claims. Those insurance claims will soon translate to a period of robust business for those in the cleaning restoration, and construction business.

The birds down at Duck Pond appear to be very happy as well as their pond has risen up over the grass and well into the area once occupied by public onlookers of the wonderful scenery that depicts Milford's waterfront.

The rain is not expected to stop for at least another day or two. The especially wet weather is expected to deliver several months of seasonal rain in just a few days. The city will also be busy down in Devon closing roads, and pumping water from flood zones.

Hopefully all of you who live in low lying areas have already taken the time to check the condition of your bilge pumps and emergency flood control in your basements. Remember that somethings insurance cannot replace.

Milford Threatened With North East Flood Threat.

Looks like some severe weather is headed our way, the wife said she heard word of Monsoon Like rain headed our way. Might want to take precautions against flooding and doing the common sense things like making sure your basement pumps work and your drains are not clogged.

Last year Issues of flooding angered residents down in Devon and pictures came along to this website of flooded churches, streets and basement damage. Anyone who has a basement that could potentially flood should keep their valuables away from spots that will ruin them with mold or the like negative effects of water damage.

People living along the beach should be prepared for higher than normal tides and more agressive runnoffs of nearby river estuaries. The Coast Guard also advises boat owners to make sure their sump pumps are working properly.

According to Weather.com the rain is expected to begin late this evening and continue into the next day.

Flooding In Devon Angers Residents

The Corner of Bridgeport Ave.and Naugatuck Ave. is a pretty wet spot in town. Residents in that area have been coming forward and complaining that their basements are flooding during periods of heavy rain.

The Devon Revitalization committee is taking the heat. Mayor Richetelli and Jim Amann the two most notable committee members have been put on the hot seat. Local residents have stated that the aesthetic improvements have not done much to improve the quality of life of those residents who are affected by the flood rains.

Our state and local leaders assured us flooding action this week. Both Amann and Richetelli indicated that they are aware of the flooding problems and blamed the areas pipes as being old. Richetelli said that these pipes carry away the rain water intended for a 1930's Milford and were not designed for today's neighborhoods. Richetelli also said the city has money for improvements on one street Naugatuck Ave., but the other street Bridgeport ave. is the responsibility of the state. Richetelli said it makes more sense to do both projects at the same time and will be waiting for the state funding before commiting to any work.

Amann on the other hand took to defending the Devon revitalization committee and said that the complainers should have done so prior to the rain problems. Amann said that during his entire tenure as a state rep. he had no idea that flooding was an issue with anyone in Devon.

As it stands this contention between our city and state leaders will experience continued pressure as they are confronted with more angry flood victims after each torrential downpour. Both leaders agree that urgent action is needed and have agreed to put this project on the fast track but not until the state delivers on their end.

The state may also slow down this project with a pre-construction engineering study aimed at figuring out exactly how to abate the flooding waters.

Anyone who wishes to address this problem should direct their concerns to the Milford Flooding and Erosion Control Board.

Milford's Sea Rising And Razing

Complaints have been coming in from residents living on the waterfront in Milford. The section in question is the area in the vicinity of Silver Sands State Park. The complaints we have received are what to do about shoreline erosion, invasive plant life intrusion, and flooding.

These problems, may be natural, or consequential to Solar and or Global warming. The erosion and coastal problems plaguing New England are well documented. The root cause of these issues are expected to occur in the near future. "Al Gore" has said that as "Glaciers continue to melt sea levels will rise." We, living on the Long Island Sound are no exception to this inconvenient fact.

How long, or to what extent the damage of arctic ice caps melting will have here in CT is unknown. Scientists can say with absolute certainty however, that the sea levels are higher today than they were just 30 years ago. Those living along the water should be aware that the thousands of square miles of water from melted ice has to go somewhere. It just may be your back yard if you live at or below sea level.

The only practical defence to the swell of the sound is eventually going to be what was done in New Orleans. Once the problem becomes so evident that it can no longer be ignored, FEMA, CT or some Federal agency will commission and or fund the Army Corp of Engineers to build Levy's, sea barriers and/or construct higher ground. Some cases may be so difficult that the property may not be salvageable at all.

Flood gates may have to be considered in places, along with pumping stations to rapidly remove water concentrations. System failures should be taken into consideration and back up systems need to be built. Should the problem of flooding be left completely unchecked, the eventual course of nature in its natural meandering of rivers will result in damage caused by natural water erosion. This will be most serious after our first hurricane or basic weather anomaly.

Erosion and water damage cannot be taken lightly and must swiftly be dealt with. Not doing so can have drastic and catastrophic consequences to people and real estate. It is my understanding that a committee has been formed to address these problems. I wish this committee much success in building the required infrastructure to control water damage that may be imminent. Please consider the urgency of this matter with an increased risk of imminent natural disasters.

Above photo of storm surge in East Lyme Connecticut.