Devastating Flood of '55 is topic of talk at Derby Public Library

DERBY - The Derby Public Library will take A Look Back at the Flood of ’55 at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 29.

August marks the 62nd anniversary of one of Connecticut’s worst natural disasters.  

The Flood of ’55 devastated much of the state, including the Naugatuck Valley. It caused more than $40 million in damages, with lives and homes destroyed.  

The Library Local History Coordinator will discuss causes of the flood, its impact on the Valley, and the changes it wrought on flood control measures for the Naugatuck River.  

Registration is requested.  

For more information, stop by the Library, 313 Elizabeth St., call 203-736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.


This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.

Ansonia 'celebrates' 60th anniversary of devastating floods

Heroism, cooperation, community spirit recalled

Ansonia lawyer Greg Stamos served as master of ceremonies for Wednesday's program at Vartelas Park in Ansonia commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Floods of 1955. The park on Maple Street alongside the Naugatuck River is the former site of the Vartelas block, which included houses, businesses, and the Vartelas family's food market. 
Stamos said the rebuilding after the event "would come to represent the resilience of Valley citizens."
The flood control walls that were built after the natural disaster can be seen in the background. Stamos is accompanied by his assistant.


Read the great coverage of the ceremony here in the Valley Independent Sentinel, and here in the New Haven Register. 

Memories of '55 floods sought at Derby Library

Derby resident Mary Bisaccia, local history coordinator at Derby Public Library, looks at newspaper coverage of a flood that devastated the Valley and caused evacuations in 1982.

This Wednesday, Aug. 19, marks the 60th anniversary of the Floods of 1955. 

Read all about it in a story in the Valley Independent Sentinel.

Bisaccia will be discussing the Floods of 1955 at the Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 10 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays for the remainder of the month. She said she hopes people will stop by and share their memories.

This is one of many flood photos taken by the legendary photojournalist Edward J. Cotter Jr. of Derby. The late Cotter's photos were published alongside other photographers' work in a book published in December, 1955 by the defunct Evening Sentinel of Ansonia. (See book cover below)

The City of Ansonia will commemorate the 60th anniversary with a ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Vartelas Park on Maple Street.

Memories of Floods of '55 will be revisited at ceremony in Ansonia

This book of flood photos was published by The Evening Sentinel newspaper in December, 1955.

ANSONIA - The city of Ansonia will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the floods of 1955 with a ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 19) at Vartelas Park, located near the intersection of Maple Street and Olson Drive, adjacent to the Maple Street bridge.

Back to back hurricanes dumped catastrophic amounts of rainfall on the Lower Naugatuck Valley that August, and the Naugatuck River overflowed its banks on Aug. 19, 1955, leaving devastation in its wake.
Another hurricane caused more flooding on Oct. 16, 1955, just as communities were rebuilding from the torrential August rains.

In a release, Mayor David S. Cassetti said the city will "recognize the roles the first responders played in the response to the greatest natural disaster our Valley has seen."

At noon Aug. 20,1955 President Eisenhower declared Connecticut a major disaster area. 

Sessions at Derby Public Library to focus on Floods of '55

DERBY - The Derby Public Library, 313 Elizabeth St., holds weekly local history information sessions from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and from 10 a.m.-noon Wednesdays.

During this time the Library’s Local History Coordinator offers information on monthly highlighted topics.

August’s topic will be The Floods of 1955. 

The flooding caused by two back-to-back hurricanes that year devastated the entire region.

Assistance also will be available for research on topics such as genealogy, prominent local figures, major area events, and more.

For more information, stop by the Library, call 203-736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.

This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.