Downtown Westport Takes on Water; Driver Stuck in Flood, Climbs Out Sunroof

A driver was attempting to push through nearly four feet of water on Westport’s Compo Road South at the railroad viaduct when his car stalled, according to Westport Fire Department Deputy Chief Robert Kepshar.

Firefighters responded to the viaduct, which is just south of Greens Farms Road and the I-95 underpass, and assisted the man once he climbed through his sunroof, Kepchar said.

“He probably didn’t realize it was that deep,” Kepchar said, adding that the road “bellies” underneath the railroad tracks.

Main Street flooded because a couple of storm drains were clogged with leaves, according to Kepchar. The flood occurred when the second front of the storm came hit Westport after 9 p.m.

“Water built up on the sidewalk and went under the doors,” Kepchar said. “The one that had the most water was Nike Westport.”

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The manager of Nike responded to the store and Firefighters vacuumed the water off of the wood floor. Kepchar said none of Nike’s merchandise appeared to be damaged and that the main concern was the wood floor.

Sunglass Hut was another store that took on water, Kepchar said.

The Westport Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was partially open from 6:30 until 11 p.m. with Kepchar and Westport Fire Chief Andrew Kingsbury ready to respond.

Although the EOC received no calls, Kepchar said the Westport Fire Department was quite busy from 5:30 until 11:30 p.m.

“We had engine companies flying all around town,” Kepchar said, adding that Westport Fire Department responded to 50 calls Tuesday night. 

The storm resulted in no injuries, according to Kepchar. More than 2,800 people were without power in Westport at the height of the storm, according to Connecticut Light and Power's website.