O'neill Wants State Declared Disaster Area

Coventry school chief Laurie Sargent sings Bramble takes has resigned his post with new hit group Manclnl’s crown J page 3 ... page 11 ... page 15 Morning clouds; Manchester, Conn. afternoon sun Saturday, June 2, 1984 — See page 2 lianrhpatpr Mpralb Single copy: 25<t O’Neill wants state declared •'I’K h .' disaster area By Margaret Jackson United Press International Related stories 2 HARTFORD — Saying the last on page 4 waves may not have surged from the state’s swollen rivers. Gov. William O’Neill warned Friday the several wastewater treatment state is “not out of danger” from plants and caused whole-sale harm \ ' * the worst flooding to hit in decades. to businesses. O'Neill vowed to ask the presi He said it would take several dent to declare the state a disaster days before firm estimates of the area and to seek federal financial flood damage were completed. assistance, but said financial help "To put a dollar figure, it’s would be a second priority until the impossible to do that,” O’Neill last waters receded. said. ’"Vou can’t just take a look “First things first, and that’s out of a window of a helicopter, life, limb and protection of prop look down and say it’s going to be erty, and we’re at that stage now,” worth $10 million, $5 million or O’Neill said at an evening news whatever.” conference after returning from a In many areas, rivers crested second day of touring the flood- and began to inch away from the tom river valleys. usurped lands as tired residents O’Neill said the floods, the worst waded back to survey the remains in three decades, drove 1,300 of their soggy posessions. people from their homes state But just as these residents had wide, of which 145 were seeking braced themselves earlier to await shelter in centers set up by the Red the crest of the river before Cross. breathing sighs of relief, towns all But asked if the worst was over, along the Connecticut River Fri he said, ”I would like to think so... day waited anxiously for the river UPl photo unless something unforeseen to peak. J O’Neill said the Connecticut Friday, 24 hours before the Connecticut River is both directions of Route 9 (foreground), the major happens,” but ’’we’re not out of danger by any matter of means River had crested Friday evening expected to crest in Middletown, water reaches the highway through the city. right now.” in Hartford at 31.2 feet, eclipsing second floor of the Harbor Park restaurant and blocks He said the Housatonic River the level of the 1955 flood. But he was falling, but the Connecticut said the river would not crest River had yet to reach its peak in further downriver until sometime some areas, in the floods caused by Saturday. MItjdletown becomes a ‘peninsula’ 55 hours of almost constant rain. “Things are improving greatly Accompanying O’Neill on his in the w-stern part of state," said day of assessment were three Mary < 'rt, a spokesperson for U MIDDLETOWN (UPI) — The cresting shelter. Garafalo showed O’Neill and the federal Gov. William O’Neill, but “the Connecticut River turned its fury on Middle- But the primary target of the flooding was the officials accompanying him the work of the officials from the Boston office of commercial area along Route 66. Businessmen the Federal Emergency Manage situation along the Connecticut town Friday night, forcing residents to rush to raging river. River valley gets worse quite earlier Friday carried out all the merchandise ment Agency, the first federal shelters, flooding businesses and turning the O’Neill, also accompanied by members of the frankly because the river has not city into a "peninsula.” i they could before the escalating flood levels state’s congressional delegation, met with city officials to arrive for an ’’over made further attempts impossible. view,” said FEMA official Ma peaked.” Mayor Sebastian J . Garafalo, waiting in the officials and an “advance team” from the In Middletown, O’Neill and "We’re very concerned about Route 66 and at Boston office of the Federal Emergency ryann Scanter. police station as the river rose threateningly, members of the state’s congres managed to maintain his optimism despite the least a dozen businesses," Garafalo said. Management Agency. O’Neill said, only “When the National Guardsmen manned checkpoints at The governor said it may be several days water recedes, it is our hope that sional delegation met with city ordeal the community has undergone after four officials and an ’’advance team” days of rain. roadblocks, trying to prevent looting and before estimates of the flood damage are we’il get a fairly accurate assess N from FEMA’s Boston offjce. “I’m confident that once the water starts to untangled ensuing traffic snarls. Garafalo, who completed. ment of the dollar values of the declared a state of emergency in his wracked “All that assessment has to come from the damage.” Also on the Connecticut, flood recede, everything will go back to normal,” waters knocked out the Glaston Garafalo said, adding, “I’m still optimistic.” city although Gov. William A. O’Neill had individual neighborhoods, the individual towns From his touring Friday, he said proclaimed one statewide, asked for and through the civil defense and then on to he saw “an awful lot of damage... I bury sewage treatment plant and After seeing his community turned into one of the town began discharging raw the hardest hit in the state with all main arteries received SO additional guardsmen to add to the Washington,” he said. didn’t see any buildings smashed sewage into the Connecticut River, closed, residents of two neighborhoods forced to 33 men stationed there earlier. Despite the battering of the community, other or moved from their foundations, “They’re manning barricades and keeping residents shared Garafalo’s optimism. Frank although I understand there are said Chet Hamlin, an engineering evacuate as the water lapped at their doors, and technician with the town Public National Guardsmen brought in to help an eye on flooded businesses,” Garafalo said of Maratta Jr., owner of the Harbor Park some.” beleaguered police, Garafalo described Mid the additional guardsmen. Restaurant on Route 9 with water up to the He said, "It is not over yet.” Works Department. O’Neill visited East Hartford, Glastonbury second floor, vowed to reopen the popular spot Overall, no serious injuries were “The plant has flooded and it’s dletown as “a peninsula.” completely out of operation,” said Residents of Miller Street leflrtheir houses to and Portland before crossing the Connecticut again. attributed to the flooding, but River to Middletown and then flying by “That’s the bottom line,” Maratta said. “We preliminary estimates put da mage Hamlin. “We’re trying to keep it stay with relatives as the water climbed from getting damaged it as best we treacherously, and a dozen families from helicopter to survey the Housatonic and stop in built the building. We can build it again” right at $12 million to newly planted can.” Bridge Street spent the night in a makeshift flooded New Milford. on the river. farmlands. Waters also crippled Leaking sewage has Pearl Street residents worried By James Sacks summer will alleviate the prob Devine, said the manhole has lower its discharge of copper But Public Worjis Director serving the intersection — would Herald City Editor lem, which he described as long discharged the substance on and wastes into the Manchester sewer George Kandra said Friday even be included. standing. Meanwhile, he said, off for several months. system. The company, which ing that the town is aware of the The state will pay for 55 percent Several Pearl Street residents sewer workers were pumping the Health department sanitarian makes printed-circuit boards, has problem and is working on a of the work upon acceptance of the said Friday they are worried that system at Purnell Place to bring John Salcius confirmed Friday committed itself to upgrade its long-range solution. He said the plan for the project. sewage which sometimes bubbles pressure down and had flushed the that the problem had been re waste treatment facilities to sanitary sewer backup Friday had “We are rectifying it,” Kandra up from a manhole at Pearl and area near the manhole. ported to the department. remedy the problem and obtained probably been caused by the said of the problem, adding that Holl streets nearthe Multi-fiMrcuits Ed Daniels, who lives at 138 Both he and Kandra said it was a zoning variance for the work. four-day rainstorm this week and the residents’ concerns are Inc. manufacturing plant might Pearl St., said Friday he is worried probable that the green substance Daniels, a plumber foreman for was not unusuai. understandable. contain chemical wastes. about chiidren on his block who was copper, which Multi-Circuits, the Wetherell Corp., charged that The long-term solution, he said, Ms. Devine, who lives across the sometimes play near the backed discharges into town sewers. Sal he has gotten nothing but “rhetoric is the Porter Street trunk sewer street from Daniels at 143 Pearl And they charged that thus far, up manhole, which was spouting a cius warned that children should and a runaround” from town and recontruction project, which wiil St., agreed with Daniels’ report town officials have been unsympa-' not play near the manhole until the cost about two million dollars, of that the problem has occurred for thetic to their concerns, which they stream several inches high during state officials to whom he has the afternoon.

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