New London Tube: Downtown Flooding

It seemed like we went from a period of drought fears and brush fires to a time of perpetual looming storms and drenching rains. According to the long range forecast I'm checking out as I write this (in advance, admittedly), we're about to return to prolonged sunshine for awhile. But this video nicely encapsulates one effect of the downpour we got over the weekend.

This was posted by Tilley Street Chronicles, which describes itself on its YouTube channel as "Southern New England's raw video news source." The videos have included musical performances, the effects of Hurricane Irene, and that brawl at the . Its next feature, according to a preview posted this week, will be on an embarrassingly drunk young man stumbling around Tilley Street during the day.

The crew heads a couple of blocks west for this footage, checking out how people are coping with the deluge the rain has brought to Bank and Reed Streets. The bicyclists passing by give an especially good sense of the water's depth, and some cars seem reluctant to traverse the flooded area too quickly (and indeed, the oft-cited depth required for floodwater to carry off a car is two feet). One man cleans up outside , while puts up a barrier at the foot of its side door but doggedly flies the "Open" flag.

The flooding situations around the city were enough for Timothy Hanser, director of the , to distribute a memo - currently posted on Mayor Daryl Finizio's Facebook page - on flooding events on Saturday and Sunday. Hanser said flooding occurred on Bank Street between Howard and Tilley as well as Blinman Street, Jefferson Ave. from West Coit to Lincoln, Lincoln Ave., Garfield Ave, Grand Street, Elm Street, Broad Street between Ledyard and Connecticut Ave., and Pequot Ave. at .

Hanser said the Bank Street pump stations are designed to supplement the New London hurricane levee and worked properly during the storms.

"The system is not designed to manage the city’s stormwater discharge system," said Hanser. "As such, it is neither designed for nor intended to prevent flooding of city streets during severe downpours. The area in the vicinity of the pump house is also the main discharge point for a significant portion of the city’s stormwater drainage system. In significant downpours, there is simply too much water and not enough capacity in the storm drains to prevent flooding."

If you're interested in more from the Tilley Street Chronicles, they have both a Facebook and Twitter page. The Twitter page also mentions that they're available for professional video work, if you're interested.

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