Tankerhoosen River Crests In Vernon In Week Of T-Storms, Elsa

VERNON, CT — A week's worth of strong thunderstorms, coupled with the outer edges of Tropical Storm Elsa, caused the Tankerhoosen River to crest in Vernon Friday afternoon.

The flow of the river resembled rapids and the water clearly encroached several backyards along its banks. One road particularly affected was Fredric Road, where a Department of Public Works crew was dispatched to assist families after the river began wrapping itself around their homes.

One member of the DPW crew said he had not seen the river that high in about 15 years. Damage seemed to be minimal, he said.

The Tankerhoosen Waterfall about a mile away was raging and longtime residents said they had never seen the water so intense heading over the side. The lakeside homes seemed to be relatively unscathed.

How much did it rain with a thunderstorm every day this week and Else picking up the rear?

Vernon Town Administrator and Emergency Management Director Michael Purcaro said that a typical daily water flow through the Water Pollution Control Authority plant is 4-to-5 million gallons. Friday's readings showed 12 million gallons flowing through the plant, Purcaro said.

Purcaro said a concerted efforts was made throughout the week to keep the town's catch basins clean, which alleviated much of the potential clogging during the heaviest of Elsa's rains.

On Friday, water began seeping into the Vernon Center Middle School basement, but a sensor installed last year came to the rescue. Purcaro said an alarm sounded, which led to a DPW crew rushing the the scene with pumps.

"We were proactive with that system, and it was able to alert us to the VCMS flooding early," Purcaro said.

Trees also went down in Vernon's Gene Pitney Park during Elsa.