Residents flooded with home damage

Stonington (WTNH) - Floods have caused a real mess for the town of Stonington. The rising waters forced the closure of many roads and bridges. And, now many home and business owners needed to have water pumped out of their buildings.

Michael Michaud feels like he is fighting a losing battle. He pumped out his basement only to have it fill up again.

"I've had this already back down to the concrete twice," Michaud said.

Thanks to Pawcatuck firefighters out in full force, 39 homes were pumped out on Wednesday and five new ones Thursday.

"We've had some [basements] up to four feet," said Pawcatuck Firefighter Alex Bazydlo.

Many of the houses they've returned to had to be pumped out again and again.

"It's the seepage," Bazydlo. "The ground is full; saturated."

The water on West Arch Street comes from a pond which flooded all the way to Route 2.

"It's a mess," Michaud said. "I could stand in the street and the water was easily right up to the middle of my thighs."

Usually the water from the pond would just drain but there was so much of it the drain just couldn't handle it. Now the water has gone down a bit.

Michaud said it just comes to show that the drain just isn't enough anymore.

"They're not giving us proper drainage down here," he said. "This isn't the first time we flooded. It is the first time it's ever been this bad."