OXFORD, Conn. (WTNH) – Thunderstorms across parts of Connecticut caused historic flash flooding Sunday evening, with Oxford getting some of the worst in the state.
The small town lost two residents, 65-year-old Ethelyn Joiner and 71-year-old Audrey Rostkowski, after they were swept away by floodwaters.
The devastation is something long-time residents had never experienced or expected.
"Heartbreak," said Shannon Carr, Joiner's neighbor. "Utter heartbreak for her, her family, her friends."
The historic flash flooding also caused damage to homes, including one on East Hill Road that was washed away. The foundation — along with everything else — collapsed after it was eaten away by floodwaters rushing down an adjacent brook, sending the family's belongings down the river.
"In 15 minutes, the road was just engulfed in water," said witness Chris Hofmann, the owner of Hofmann Home Improvement.
Homeowner Randi Marcucio, a single mother to a 3-year-old boy, had bought the house only two years ago on Mother's Day.
"I got my son's teddy bear, but we didn't go too hard grabbing everything because we didn't think it would come to this," Marcucio said.
Marcucio said she's struggling with how to break the news to her son.
"He doesn't know, but he knows something is wrong because he hasn't seen me in a couple days now," Marcucio said. "I don't know how to tell him. We lost a ball down the river and it was devastating to him."
Friends of the family have since organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Marcucio and her family "rebuild hope."
Flash flooding caused damage and devastation across parts of Connecticut on Sunday thanks to a storm system that hit the state before moving on to Long Island.
William Syrett, a professor of meteorology and atmospheric science at Penn State University, referred to the Connecticut-New York system as “training thunderstorms.”
“It’s like each thunderstorm is a car on a train track, and so they just keep going over the same place,” he said. He cited “perfect conditions” for the storms, thanks to the amount of moisture in the air and a slow weather system.
The unusual part was the amount of rain that fell over several hours, Syrett said, not the thunderstorms themselves.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
