Avon's History Podcast Looks At 1955 Flood Disaster

AVON, CT — The topic of the “Avon Talks” history podcast takes a look at one of the worst weather events in Connecticut history, the great flood of 1955.

Avon Talks is a monthly podcast about Avon’s history, landmarks, and current events from the Avon Historical Society and Town of Avon.

It is hosted by Ethan Guo, an Avon Resident and current undergraduate at Tufts University.

In August 1955, Connecticut was hit by one of the worst natural disasters in the state’s history.

Over one week, two hurricanes — Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane — collectively dropped more than 2 feet of water and raised the Farmington River by over 18 inches.

These two storms, and the subsequent Flood of 1955 that resulted, ended up causing more than $680 million worth of damage across the Eastern Seaboard, with $350 million of that in Connecticut alone.

In response to these damages, then-Gov. Abraham Ribicoff declared a state of emergency, requested federal assistance from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and activated the state’s National Guard.

By the end of the Flood of 1955, 87 Connecticut residents had died, 668 dwellings were destroyed, and more than 200 dams suffered partial or total failure.

Avon, located adjacent to the Farmington River, was not able to escape the impact of the hurricane, suffering extreme damage to its public infrastructure, farms, and houses.

For this episode, the podcast is joined by Janet Carville of The Pickin Patch Farm who, being a lifelong resident of Avon, was able to experience the Flood of 1955 first-hand.

“Avon Talks: is available on: Spotify; Apple Podcasts; YouTube Music; Podcast Index; and
Amazon Music. Find more Avon Talks info at https://avontalks.buzzsprout.com
Those with questions, comments and/or concerns can reach out to avontalksahs@gmail.com.
For more information on the Avon Historical Society, visit www.avonhistoricalsociety.org.