I was 15 and living in the Elmwood section of West Hartford when I, with the rest of my siblings, was awakened around midnight by my father, Angelo Pellegatto, to get up and get dressed.
Within minutes, my sisters and I were urgently told to get my mother and grandmother out of the house and up the street to higher ground as the water was coming up the driveway. We did, but the water rose so fast that it was up to our shins as we left, still rising and moving rapidly so that it caused resistance in our walking. My older sister was calming me when my mother, petrified of water, almost fell, with each of us holding one side of her and feeling our way with our feet in the dark, and my younger sister holding on to my grandmother and our clothing to reassure us we were all together.
We couldn't ask our father or brothers for help. It was our responsibility (older sister and myself) to get us all to safety while they stayed behind to disconnect the furnace and electrical items and move whatever was possible to the second floor. It didn't take long for the water to rise to the point they just had to drop any efforts of salvage and leave.
The water destroyed the complete first floor of our home, taking with it many photos of our family, while leaving a lasting memory that 50 years later is as clear as the day it happened. Reports of the dam in Torrington breaking. Talk that the dam in Beachland Park had a crack in it and was going to break any moment. Fear when the Connecticut River was confirmed to be overflowing and had expanded into Hartford near the West Hartford line and no telling how far it would go.
The speculation of water from Torrington, Farmington, Unionville and Trout Brook in West Hartford meeting with the Connecticut River had people in ALL cities and towns talking and spreading word any way possible. People did wake their neighbors, telling many of the danger, and took whatever action was necessary to get anyone needing help to safety. Reporting that there was no help coming from the cities or towns, as roads were blocked by water and each second more roads were blocked, making them impossible to travel on.
Police, firemen and all emergency personnel could not keep up, as things happened so fast, there just wasn't time. The damage was incomprehensible without seeing with one's eyes. Residents in each city and town that was affected could hardly believe the destruction within their own area and could only imagine damage to the rest of the state.
After the flooding ceased rising, my brother was called to duty with the National Guard to go to the Torrington/Barkhamsted area and if necessary shoot looters. If there is a bright spot in the memories, it is the fact that faced against a danger, EVERYONE who could spread by word of mouth the events taking place. Families, neighbors, friends and strangers, all taking part to help one another through this terrible time.
Fifty years later? It seems like yesterday.
Within minutes, my sisters and I were urgently told to get my mother and grandmother out of the house and up the street to higher ground as the water was coming up the driveway. We did, but the water rose so fast that it was up to our shins as we left, still rising and moving rapidly so that it caused resistance in our walking. My older sister was calming me when my mother, petrified of water, almost fell, with each of us holding one side of her and feeling our way with our feet in the dark, and my younger sister holding on to my grandmother and our clothing to reassure us we were all together.
We couldn't ask our father or brothers for help. It was our responsibility (older sister and myself) to get us all to safety while they stayed behind to disconnect the furnace and electrical items and move whatever was possible to the second floor. It didn't take long for the water to rise to the point they just had to drop any efforts of salvage and leave.
The water destroyed the complete first floor of our home, taking with it many photos of our family, while leaving a lasting memory that 50 years later is as clear as the day it happened. Reports of the dam in Torrington breaking. Talk that the dam in Beachland Park had a crack in it and was going to break any moment. Fear when the Connecticut River was confirmed to be overflowing and had expanded into Hartford near the West Hartford line and no telling how far it would go.
The speculation of water from Torrington, Farmington, Unionville and Trout Brook in West Hartford meeting with the Connecticut River had people in ALL cities and towns talking and spreading word any way possible. People did wake their neighbors, telling many of the danger, and took whatever action was necessary to get anyone needing help to safety. Reporting that there was no help coming from the cities or towns, as roads were blocked by water and each second more roads were blocked, making them impossible to travel on.
Police, firemen and all emergency personnel could not keep up, as things happened so fast, there just wasn't time. The damage was incomprehensible without seeing with one's eyes. Residents in each city and town that was affected could hardly believe the destruction within their own area and could only imagine damage to the rest of the state.
After the flooding ceased rising, my brother was called to duty with the National Guard to go to the Torrington/Barkhamsted area and if necessary shoot looters. If there is a bright spot in the memories, it is the fact that faced against a danger, EVERYONE who could spread by word of mouth the events taking place. Families, neighbors, friends and strangers, all taking part to help one another through this terrible time.
Fifty years later? It seems like yesterday.
L.A. for less than the price of sunblock. 
