Hartford’s North End floods a week after $170M project announced

Barely a week after federal, state and local politicians crowded onto her front yard for a press conference and promised to fix long-running flooding issues in Hartford’s North End through a $170 million project, Nikeda Parkes watched the torrential rains on July 4 seep into her bedroom.

The flooding in her backyard has gotten into the foundation through the roots of a large tree stump, slowly cracking it and allowing water into her Granby Street home.

“We have over $6,000 in damages already,” Parkes said. “They all said to wait that help is coming but it may be too late for me.”

All across the North End residents cleaned up the latest water damage. Some homes on Sargeant Street had as much as four inches of water in their basements.

One of the many speakers at the press conference last week was Bridgette Prince, a community activist that has led the effort to get the government’s attention to what she says is clearly environmental injustice.

“They all talk pretty at the press conference but where are they today when people’s basements are flooded?”