'Worse than ever.' Storm reignites calls to fix decades-old flooding problem in Bridgeport neighborhood
Heavy downpours triggered severe flooding all over the city, but residents on Savoy Street say they have been dealing with the same issue for nearly 50 years.
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Residents on the North End are renewing their calls for the city to fix an ongoing flooding problem in their neighborhood following Sunday's storm.
Heavy downpours triggered severe flooding all over the city, but neighbors on Savoy Stree say they have been dealing with the same issue for nearly 50 years.
"Every time this happens or I hear rain, I'm a nervous wreck," Dale Foti says. "It's worse than ever."
Just last month, News 12 reported on how rain routinely turns the street into a lake.
Residents say the decades-old problem is due to the neighborhood's position at the bottom of two hills, the lack of storm drains on side streets and a nearby brook that overflows during rainstorms.
The city has claimed it can't do much on its own to fix the problem because it has limited access to the brook as it flows through dozens of homeowners' properties.
Last month, Bridgeport's Public Facilities Director said the city is in the process of reaching out to the state for more money to fix the problem, but there's been no update.
Foti says it's a serious public safety issue.
"I'm thinking about investing in a canoe because we can't get out," Foti says. "My parents are elderly, and if god forbid something happens... you cannot get through that water to take them to the hospital, so that's very frightening for me."
The city declined to comment and did not provide an update on the status of possible state funding.
Foti is hoping the city will do something to put residents at ease.
"Everyone in this neighborhood has had it," Foti says. "None of us are leaving our homes, but we will do everything in our power to make sure the problem gets fixed."
