MILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — All along Milford’s shoreline residents know the risks of living in a flood zone.
“This water will keep rising until the tide goes out. This happens several times a day depending on the tide chart,” said resident Patty Kelly.
Kelly has lived at her current home for two years. Several times she has seen the water rise to just below her top step at the front of her house. With Hermine set to kick up surf she is now thinking about moving lawn furniture to higher ground.
Firefighters are also preparing for the higher than normal tides. They know all too well what can happen as the waves roll in.
“We’ve had fires in buildings surrounded by flood waters in the past. Gas leaks. We have odor of gas quite a bit cause if the flooding is bad enough it will knock out pilot lights,” said Captain Greg Carman with the Milford Fire Department.
Today firefighters are checking equipment and gearing up for the worst case scenario. The department has four rafts, multiple boats, and lots of extreme weather and water rescue gear.
“We also have exposure suits that we wear. It keeps us dry plus it gives us flotation. We have lifelines to make sure that no one gets lost in the surge,” said Carman.
The fire department says when the threat of flooding becomes imminent they send out early warning signals to let residents know it’s time to move to higher ground. Alarms and speakers are located all along the neighborhoods.
‘It’s extremely loud. It will blow you out of bed. When the alarm goes off and says move to higher ground I pay attention and I get out of Dodge,” said Kelly.
