My Dad met some client last year... he's elderly, living in Florida now... anyways, he was in Norwalk, CT during this flood and saw fish in his kitchen drawers.
I too was born in Norwalk, in 1951. My grandfather, Hermas J Poirier Sr. rescued many survivors from that flood with a surplus US military DUKW amphibious vehicle he owned (pronounced "duck"). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUKW His DUKW was used in many parades during and after 1955 until he sold or gave it away some years later. I think my family was residing on a pecan tree plantation in Louisiana in 1955 or Jacksonville, Florida but returned to Norwalk after my first year in public school. My grandfather never spoke about his efforts of rescue which was typical of his modesty but my relatives did a few times but never in any great detail.
I'd never heard of this particular disaster. Fascinating. (What other jewels are hidden deep in the mines of TH-cam? Damn this is 10 years old and I watch a lot of disaster videos.)
I just saw the documentary of the 1938 Hurricane. The sick part was, ONE GUY correctly forecast it; but he was just some young idiot. The older, wiser men insisted that no serious hurricane could possibly make it that far north...but it did. Absolutely NO ONE in New England knew it was coming. Wind gusts hit 186 MPH. It was so powerful, it actually hit Magnitude 5 on the Richter Scale. Geologists in Alaska mistook the hurricane for an earthquake.
My husband ,two sons myself lived in Torrington Ct. On the branch of the river,,the water came up around the house,we worked all night moving our neighbors to the 2nd floor where we lived.
Mary Acheson Don’t know if you’ll ever see this: I was ten the night of the flood in Torrington. We lived just below Southwest School so weren’t touched by the water. The commotion that followed was exciting for kids. My grandfather was foreman of Hendy Machine whose sirens blew all night behind us. We had a wood stove in our basement and people cooked on it from all around us. I remember going into the stores downtown and the smell of the flood water that lingered for years. It certainly took a long time to clean up!
I was 50 years old at the time it started we're up in Monson Mass it rained for like 18 inches in a matter 24 hours I remember just like it was yesterday
We had moved to Darien by 1955. I don't remember seeing too much destruction there, but when we drove through Norwalk, it looked like someone had dropped bombs.
leo roys I’m from Plainville too. My grandfather was a cop there and told about the extra duty he had. Plainville PD was patrolling Unionville too because the Farmington River flooding cut it off from the rest of Farmington.
I wish our government -- provincial and federal-- were as smart as these people-- we've just endured 2 major floods along the Ottawa River in 2017 and again this year and they haven't done a goddam thing about it to prevent another one-- they blame it on climate change and wring their hands while our homes are destroyed.
My Dad met some client last year... he's elderly, living in Florida now... anyways, he was in Norwalk, CT during this flood and saw fish in his kitchen drawers.
I too was born in Norwalk, in 1951. My grandfather, Hermas J Poirier Sr. rescued many survivors from that flood with a surplus US military DUKW amphibious vehicle he owned (pronounced "duck").
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUKW
His DUKW was used in many parades during and after 1955 until he sold or gave it away some years later.
I think my family was residing on a pecan tree plantation in Louisiana in 1955 or Jacksonville, Florida but returned to Norwalk after my first year in public school. My grandfather never spoke about his efforts of rescue which was typical of his modesty but my relatives did a few times but never in any great detail.
thanks for posting this.it is a big part of my family history.
I'd never heard of this particular disaster. Fascinating. (What other jewels are hidden deep in the mines of TH-cam? Damn this is 10 years old and I watch a lot of disaster videos.)
Me too
I just saw the documentary of the 1938 Hurricane. The sick part was, ONE GUY correctly forecast it; but he was just some young idiot. The older, wiser men insisted that no serious hurricane could possibly make it that far north...but it did. Absolutely NO ONE in New England knew it was coming.
Wind gusts hit 186 MPH. It was so powerful, it actually hit Magnitude 5 on the Richter Scale. Geologists in Alaska mistook the hurricane for an earthquake.
My husband ,two sons myself lived in Torrington Ct. On the branch of the river,,the water came up around the house,we worked all night moving our neighbors to the 2nd floor where we lived.
Mary Acheson Don’t know if you’ll ever see this: I was ten the night of the flood in Torrington. We lived just below Southwest School so weren’t touched by the water. The commotion that followed was exciting for kids. My grandfather was foreman of Hendy Machine whose sirens blew all night behind us. We had a wood stove in our basement and people cooked on it from all around us. I remember going into the stores downtown and the smell of the flood water that lingered for years. It certainly took a long time to clean up!
I was 50 years old at the time it started we're up in Monson Mass it rained for like 18 inches in a matter 24 hours I remember just like it was yesterday
We had moved to Darien by 1955. I don't remember seeing too much destruction there, but when we drove through Norwalk, it looked like someone had dropped bombs.
The heart of Norwalk took huge flood waters. The Norwalk river, which is more like a big stream, crested over 30 feet.
@@michaelstiller2282 I always wondered about that. I can still remember seeing the exposed rooms of buildings, what was left of them, that is.
Miriam Bucholtz how old are u
@@ishmaelsanchez7202 I'm 72. I'll be 73 next September.
This flood was caused by 2 hurricanes in 2 weeks in 1955 so this was a very unusual time in new england history and the flooding happened.
My parents lived in Ansonia and spoke of this horrible flood that they went through.
It also flooded in Thomaston, Georgia in 1955 seems this is why
I was living in Planville Ct at that time I was 8yrs old then lived on North Mountain Rd so we were high enough so as not feel the effect of it
leo roys I’m from Plainville too. My grandfather was a cop there and told about the extra duty he had. Plainville PD was patrolling Unionville too because the Farmington River flooding cut it off from the rest of Farmington.
I wish our government -- provincial and federal-- were as smart as these people-- we've just endured 2 major floods along the Ottawa River in 2017 and again this year and they haven't done a goddam thing about it to prevent another one-- they blame it on climate change and wring their hands while our homes are destroyed.
My mom always talks about how my great uncle was sitting in a window waiting for resue..water was up to the window
4:50 - Naugatuck RHODE ISLAND??? #wth.
thanks for scaring the hell out of me by mumbling in a low voice so I have to turn up the volume, then showing an extremely loud clip of thunder...
Haha... you're welcome!
That's funny
The month before i was born
Excellent documentary!.....except The part where the guy said that we could survive mother nature’s wrath.....no.
@dadsoldtapes I'm from Norwalk and my mother tells me about this flood
69 years ago to the fucking date. WHAT THE FUCK. SEYMOUR & OXFORD ARE A MESS RIGHT NOW.
Hi there! I'm interested in potentially sourcing this video. Is there a contact that I can reach out to? Thanks!
Nice job
i almost was not born.
They must’ve had a lot more farting cows back then🐄
nice!
I lost a new car in Derby in that flood . I was taken off a building by a helicopter.
Wow what a story to tell!!
Destroyed winsted also
The colebrook river dam was built then