Restore a Flooded Home in Oxford

On August 18th, 2024, Oxford, CT experienced a major flooding event. The waters of the Little River exploded out of the banks and ravaged homes and businesses that made up the very heart of the town. My sister's home was one of those in the path of the river.

In 1950, my grandparents started building their home. My grandmother had designed the home for a class in college and my grandfather turned the drawings into a blueprint on his drafting table. They had purchased the land from my great-grandfather and spent their paychecks on materials. Every weekend they would work on their home together, building it bit by bit. When the Flood of 1955 hit the region, they watched the waters rise from across the river, holding their breath that their new home was high enough off the banks. Fortunately, the river held and they moved in just after the New Year in 1956.

They raised their family there along the river. Growing up right next door, we were always there. I remember my mom teaching us to catch minnows and frogs. Grandma would have us help repot her plants in the spring and weed the many gardens to make space for new flowers. Grandpa had a woodshop in the basement where he built a rabbit hutch and a bed for a beloved teddy bear. Every holiday was spent in the home, gathered around the long table in the dining room.

Every season we watch the river change. The waters rise in the spring, slow to a trickle in the heat of summer and freeze almost all the way across in winter. As much as it ebbs and flows, it has never raged as it did on 8/18. The water burst from its banks two streets over from the house and flowed across a park and down the driveway. It smashed into the garage doors and filled the bays with 5 feet of water. My sister's car was bobbing along in the mud and debris. As it reached the electrical panel, the lights flickered on and off until the battery finally died.

As the storm raged on, a mudslide slammed into the side of the house and broke a window in the basement. A surge of mud and water filled the basement a foot from the ceiling before crashing out another window on the opposite side. The force of the water gouged a huge hole in the lawn next to the foundation.

All during the destruction, my sister huddled with her dogs at the window, watching for an opportunity to get out and get to our house on the other side of the river. Fortunately, when the rain stopped the water receded almost as quickly as it came.

When it was all over, four feet of mud settled in the basement, items were thrown around the garage and huge chunks of the lawn and driveway were torn up. The fire department came and pumped out the mud leaving a clear picture of the destruction. The furnace, water heater, washer and dryer, water pump, water filtration system, oil tank and electrical panel are all thrown about. The woodworking machines are crammed with mud and the house has been deemed unsafe until cleaning and inspection.

There was no flood insurance on the house because we don't live on a floodplain. It was an unlikely event. We don't know if there will be aid for repairs and we have to move forward with cleaning and sanitizing the house so that my sister has a home to go back to. Right now, she is safe with her two dogs as they try to find comfort in a temporary situation.