Bristol Cleans Up From Irene

Many expected Tropical Storm Irene to heavily damage Connecticut's coast, but the central part of the state also saw damage after rivers and streams flooded there. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports from Bristol where some residents had to be evacuated from their homes.

The Forestville neighborhood saw extensive flooding, it sits right above the Pequabuck River on the east side of Bristol.

Sunday morning around 10, police started ordering residents to evacuate as the river rose quickly. A day later, the water has receded but water lines can be seen along the foundation of homes. On Frederick Street, sand and silt sit in clumps along Frederick Street.

Molly Mendez wore flip-flops as she walked around one of the yards filled with thick sand.

"This is actually my great grandmother's house. She has been here for over 95 years."

The Pequabuck River is right across the street, easily visible from her great grandmother's porch.

"My (great) grandmother actually about 5 in the morning started to see a lot of the river starting to flow over, by about 11 o’clock it was a full river. And there were people who definitely didn't want to leave, my (great) grandmother included."  Mendez helped evacuate her great grandmother to her parents’ home one street over. Mendez, who's about 5'2’’, says the water was up to her chest.

Some evacuees ended up at Chippens Hill Middle School, the city's designated shelter for emergencies.

Carrie Farken,a lifelong Forestville resident, was among the 53 adults and children who spent Sunday night at the school. She says this was the first time she had to evacuate the area but flooding there is nothing new

Carrie:” The water was up to the pool in the backyard that kind of took over the property.”  Lucy: ”It's scary to see that water coming that quickly.”

Carrie: Especially when we have five floods in a year, we've been thorough that too."

Farken hopes to be back in her home on Tuesday. Meanwhile, residents in Forestville are getting help from the Bristol Fire Department to pump water out of their homes.

But the electricity there is still out.