Mandatory evacuations lifted for Norwich homes, compromised dam still being watched: Recap

Follow our Thursday coverage of the clean-up of the Norwich flooding here.

Norwich city officials have lifted the evacuation order for the Yantic and Uncas Fall areas as of 4 p.m. and let people return home but warned another evacuation order could be issued.

There will be a Norwich firefighter and a Bozrah employee watching the dam overnight, because while no rain is expected, water from upstream and melting snow may cause issues.

“The city is asking people to remain vigilant” “Our customers have been patient, understanding and supportive, and that’s greatly appreciated," said Chris Riley, NPU.

The river reached a 14.2-feet stage as of 2:45 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Bankfull stage for the river is 8 feet and flood stage is 9 feet.

The river is expected to fall below flood stage late tonight and continue falling to 5.7 feet Saturday morning.

Map of Connecticut Rivers: Real-time river water levels: Updated data, info on the water level in US rivers

Connecticut Emergency Management & Homeland Security made the announcement about the lifting of the evacuation order shortly after 4:30 p.m. and Norwich Public Utilities expects the power to be returned to residents by 6 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued a Flood (Forecast) Warning for the area through Thursday morning, which is different the Flash Flood Warning in place early in the day.

How much rain fell in Norwich?

The National Weather Service released the total rainfall amounts for Tuesday night into Wednesday, late in the afternoon. A Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network reporter in Norwich reported 4.51 inches had fallen by 7 a.m. Wednesday.

The amount was slightly higher the the 4.10 inches reported in Griswold.

The highest amounts of rain in the state were in Fairfield County with Ridgefield reporting in 4.77 inches.

A 60 second read: What we know about the Fitchville Pond Dam and Yantic River

Gov. Lamont's visit to Norwich and Fitchville Pond Dam

CT. Gov. Ned Lamont visited the city on Wednesday to see the dam and meet with city officials. After his visit, he tweeted photos. "Thank you to everyone in the area for listening to the calls to evacuate. As storms are becoming more frequent and more severe, it's important to take these warnings seriously," he wrote

What happened earlier Wednesday morning

The mandatory evacuation has been issued in Norwich for all areas along the Yantic River from the Bozrah town line to the area of Uncas Falls due to dam conditions mid-morning Tuesday, and the National Weather Service has pushed the Flash Flood Watch until 6:45 p.m.

"Dam failure may result in flash flooding of low-lying areas below the dam. Area creeks and streams are running high and could flood with more heavy rain," according to the National Weather Service statement.

The Connecticut Emergency Management & Homeland Security sent out the notification for the city just after 11:30 a.m. as conditions in the area worsened. Fire and rescue crews have already rescued several people from their flooded homes and businesses, and CT DHEMS reports people are trapped in buildings and homes in and around the area.

There is no evacuation of Backus Hospital, according to the CT Emergency Management.

A flash flood warning was issued along the Yantic River Wednesday morning because of a partial dam break after about 7:30 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The flash flood warning for Norwich and New London County has been extended again until 6:45 p.m.

How long will the mandatory evacuations last in Norwich

Resident evacuating from the Yantic River area may be displaced from their residences and businesses for several days, according to the Jan. 10 Declaration of Local Emergency & Evacuation Order from the City of Norwich.

Where is a shelter opening?

Kelly Middle School at 25 Mahan Drive will be open as a shelter. The American Red Cross is at the shelter, and can manage hundreds of residents, according to the city's evacuation order.

About 20 people have come to the shelter, and as of 3:30 p.m., the shelter was waiting on whether it'd be an overnight shelter, Fred Bolen, Logistics Lead for the Eastern Connecticut Territory, said.

There may be more people coming to the shelter if the evacuation order still stands when they come back from work, Shelter Supervisor Michelle Hendricks said.

One person at the Red Cross Shelter is Steve Langello. He lives on Yantic Street, and woke up Wednesday morning to seeing the parking lot by the building he lives in flooded, he said.

"They let me back in to get some personal items, and they said go," Langello said.

Langello is hoping he won't have to be away from home for the night, but he'll find a hotel instead of staying in the shelter if he has to.

Is Backus Hospital open?

According to Ken Harrison, East Region Marketing & Communications Director for Hartford Healthcare, the hospital remains operational, despite the flooding. One parking lot, and part of another are flooded, but both were evacuated before the floodwaters arrived.

However, both the Medical Office Building at Backus and the Norwichtown Hartford HealthCare outpatient office are without power and expected to remain so all day. Affected patients have been contacted and alternate plans have been made to ensure continuity of care.

Hospital staff and leadership continue to monitor the situation.

Water rescues at Busy Bees' Play Hive and Domino's Pizza: Here's what happened

There has also been at least one rescue in the city. Early Wednesday morning Busy Bees' Play Hive owner Keith Santor was told by his landlord to check in on his business. There was a foot of water when he arrived, and the water eventually rose to three feet.

The two of them were trying to pump water out of the neighboring Domino's Pizza. Eventually, they got stuck in the Domino's. While they were thinking about either trying to walk out or waiting for the water to go away, a neighbor called the Yantic Volunteer Fire Department to rescue them by boat, he said.

Even though he didn't feel he was in danger, Santor appreciates the work of the Yantic Volunteer Fire Department and other emergency responders helping out during the flood.

"We would have not been able to walk across the parking lot through the water," he said. "You could feel the current and it was much too fast to walk through."

Busy Bees' is expected closed or a week or two at least. The flood water was dirty and had caused the flooring to float. Busy Bees' also needs to clean the playground and figure out which toys are salvageable or not, Santor said.

What other evacuations and precautions are being taken

The Connecticut Emergency Management & Homeland Security department has issued a "precautionary evacuation of the Stockhouse Road" area in Bozrah due to the incident at the Fitchville Pond Dam as of 9:30 a.m.

Norwich Public Utilities took the Bean Hill Substation offline at about 7 a.m. because of the flooding. "To avoid potentially catastrophic damage to our infrastructure, we have taken our Bean Hill Substation off line; this has resulted in the disruption of power for approximately 5,000 of our customers," reads a Facebook post by the agency. "We are gathering additional information on the damage to and location of the dam and will provide additional updates in the hours ahead."

When will the Yantic River crest

The National Weather Service is warning that more than 400 people and one school is in the area of concern. They are warning people to move to higher ground and avoid walking or driving through flood waters.

As of 9:08 a.m., the Yantic River had not crested. While there is no more rain, there is still snow melt flowing into the river, including from other towns, causing the water to still rise. The parking lot of the Norwichtown Commons was underwater, and had been up to the doors of Stop & Shop, Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said.

As of the 11 a.m. the Yantic River in the Yantic area of Norwich measured at 13.34 feet, according to the US Geological Society.

Map of Eastern Connecticut: If your mobile devices does not show the map, click here.

Norwich Public Outage

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What we know about the Fitchville Pond Dam

The Fitchville Pond Dam was assessed as in Poor condition on Sept. 12, 2012, and it is still listed in that condition, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. The dam is inspected every two years.

It is owned by Bozrah WaterWorks, which is a public utility and is a state-regulated dam.

It is a concrete dam with a listed height of 20 feet and a length of 70 feet. It was built in 1871 for recreational purposes.

The left-hand side of the dam started leaking near the road surface, meaning water was penetrating through. Crews are now building a temporary dam with sand bags so the water can be drained, and the Fitchville Pond Dam itself can be inspected, Nystrom said.

Nystrom said he was talking with a Yantic Volunteer Fire Department firefighter and the firefighter told him if the dam broke, the water would hit the firehouse in four minutes, at a speed 50mph to 60mph.

Dam Safety Inspection: Fitchville Pond Dam (New London County, CT)

Norwich Public Schools closed for day

The flooding and power outages have caused the Norwich Public Schools to close for the day on Wednesday.

What is the forecast for the rest of the day

The National Weather Service is predicting there is still a 50% chance of showers between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. Then the weather will turn mostly cloudy. A Southwest wind will be 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph.

Power Outage Map: New London County, Connecticut Power Outage Tracker

Roads closed in Norwich

The Norwich Police and Fire departments are advising drivers to be cautious during the morning commute on Tuesday. The following roads are closed or have hazardous conditions as of Wednesday morning.• Huntington Avenue• Sholes Avenue• White Plains at Hanson Road (Trees in Roadway)• Bliss Place• Julian Street• West Town at Case Street• Otrobando Avennue at Wawecus Street• Salem Turnpike at Teddy Lane

City response

As of 9:10 a.m., the Emergency Operations Center at Norwich Public Utilities is open, and there will be a media briefing later today, Norwich Fire Department Battalion Chief Patrick Curtin said.

More updates will be made as they are available.

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This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Evacuations order lifted near Yantic River dam in Norwich CT: Recap