Dam break in Norwich, Connecticut dam forces mandatory evacuations
A partial dam break forced parts of Norwich County, Conn., to be evacuated Wednesday.
“Norwich is issuing a MANDATORY EVACUATION order of all areas along the Yantic River from the Bozrah town line to the area of Backus Hospital due to dam conditions,” Connecticut Emergency Management and Homeland Security posted to X.
Officials stated Backus Hospital in Norwich wouldn’t be required to comply with that order. The dam break follows heavy overnight storms that pounded the tri-state area.
Norwich Public Utilities said the break forced the Bean Hill Substation to power down, affecting 5,000 customers. The substation was taken offline to prevent it from experiencing “potentially catastrophic damage.”
Damage to the dam was the result of flooding caused by heavy rains and melting snow, according to the Hartford Courant. The Norwich Bulletin reported Monday the area saw roughly half an inch of snow Sunday after meteorologists predicted up to a foot of snowfall.
Flooding forced several road closures in Norwich Wednesday. Local station WTNH reported a woman was rescued from a vehicle stuck in floodwater at the intersection of Wawecus Street and Clinton Avenue. Poor conditions forced public schools to close.
The National Weather Service indicated southeast Connecticut might catch a break Wednesday. Temperatures in Norwich were expected to be steady at 49 degrees with a 20% chance of rain ending by 1 p.m. Rain will likely return by the weekend.
