30 Years Ago - FLOOD!
This week's website update is devoted exclusively to one of Hamden's worst natural disasters of the last 100 years.
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Heavy rain fell steadily from Friday night into Saturday morning, June 5, 1982, continuing all day and through the following night. By mid-morning on Saturday, water was collecting under the railroad bridge on Putnam Avenue. By early afternoon, calls for assistance were being prioritized at Central by the number of feet of water in basements. By mid-afternoon the Emergency Operations Center was opened by Mayor Peter Villano. By evening, Dixwell Avenue at Central was covered in several feet of water. By the next day, the Flood of '82 was a major disaster.
Posted 6/8/12
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| Flood waters lap against the covered bridge by the Whitney Dam (Photo by Leland Robinson, courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE FOR EASIER READING.
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| From the New Haven Journal-Courier, Monday, June 7, 1982 (Courtesy of the New Haven Free Public Library microfilm collection) |
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CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE FOR EASIER READING.
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| "This Skiff Street home, next to the Nationwide Insurance building, which suffered severe water damage, was evacuated over the weekend as swells of torrential rains claimed its foundation, porch, roof and backyard." (Photo by Christine Bellini) This article, photo and caption is from The Hamden Chronicle, Wednesday, June 9, 1982. |
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All Hamden Chronicle articles on this page were provided by Gilbert Spencer.
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Wednesday, June 9, 1982 |
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The gravity of the damage to Hamden streets can be gleaned from reading the weekly HFD Communications Bulletin (below), issued just two days after the rain ended. One of the silver linings of this disaster was the level of cooperation and assistance provided to us by our neighboring communities. Some border areas of Hamden could be reached only from other towns. Some areas of our neighboring towns could be reached only from Hamden. These conditions resulted in new mutual aid agreements with Bethany, Cheshire, North Haven, and Wallingford, which are still in effect today.
Posted 6/8/12
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| Hamden Fire Department Bulletin No. 15 - HFRA Archives |
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Wednesday, June 16, 1982 - The page 3 article referred to in the photo caption is below. |
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CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE FOR EASIER READING.
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Wednesday, June 16, 1982 |
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Wednesday, June 16, 1982 |
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Wednesday, June 9, 1982 |
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| Photo by Leland Robinson, courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society |
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| From the New Haven Journal-Courier, Tuesday, June 8, 1982 (Courtesy of the New Haven Free Public Library microfilm collection) |
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