2 women found dead after being swept away by flooding

OXFORD, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - Two women have been found dead Monday morning after they were swept away by flooding Sunday in Connecticut, authorities said.

The two were swept away by flood waters along Little River in Oxford, police said.

Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pellitier said one person was in a car, and the other clung to a sign before a rapid stream of water swept them away.

Troopers identified them as 65-year-old Ethelyn Joiner and 71-year-old Audrey Rostkowski.

The Oxford Fire Department said in addition to finding the two missing people, they have also been answering calls left and right.

Flooding caused by heavy rain in Connecticut has prompted evacuations and closed roads across the state.

As much as 10 inches of rain fell in Connecticut, the National Weather Service said.

Gov. Ned Lamont said at least 100 people had to be evacuated from dangerous conditions.

About a foot of water is enough to lift a car off the ground, meteorologists said.

Tow truck driver Chas Bradley said he has loaded up about a dozen cars.

“Just on this road alone, it looks like an apocalypse everywhere,” Bradley said. “There are cars stranded everywhere. It has gone down some, but some of the secondary roads are still pretty bad.”

Firefighters warned drivers who had to hit the road to drive with extreme caution, especially in the dark. They said that if drivers can’t see the road in front of them, it’s a clear sign to turn around.

Firefighters rescued more than a dozen people from a flooded restaurant in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, about 5 miles east of Oxford, on Sunday, the Associated Press reported. Floodwaters trapped 18 people inside the Brookside Inn Restaurant, and there were concerns that the restaurant’s structure might be compromised. Firefighters used an aerial ladder to get the people out of the restaurant and rescue a resident in a nearby apartment.

“The water is literally enveloping this whole restaurant. There was no where for them to go,” said Jeremy Rodrigo, a volunteer firefighter in Beacon Falls. “And we were worried about the structural integrity of the restaurant because there are literally cars floating by and large objects that were hitting the building.”

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