The ice jams causing problems in Kent for the past week have grown larger, officials learned.
Officials said they are preparing again for more flooding.
The weekend’s warmup caused parts of the ice jam to collapse in on itself and since the ice is breaking up, officials hope it starts to move downstream.
"We’re hoping that is a benefit to the ice jam," State Rep. Brian Ohler said.
Travelers should not stop or park on Route 7 along the Housatonic River to view the ice jam because it is becoming increasingly unstable as it begins to thaw and melt. Connecticut State Police are ticketing offenders.
A flyover by the Civil Air Patrol on Saturday showed the stretch ice had doubled in size, making it two miles long.
"You can’t see how thick these chunks of ice are until you’re here in person," Warren resident Jenny Brady, who came to take pictures along the riverbank, said.
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Daniel Cloutier, who lives in Kent, has noticed the number of visitors coming to his town.
"It looks like there’s ice jam tourism now in Kent. It’s kind of weird," Cloutier said.
The road Cloutier walks his dog along flooded last Saturday.
"We weren’t expecting the water to rise this fast. Five minutes after we came back the road was barely passable," he recalled.
On Sunday, officials said there’s concern over how low the river level has dropped. The National Weather Service’s Hydrologic Prediction Center told the local emergency response team that the water sits at just 3.8 feet.
"We need the water level to rise a little bit more so we can break up the ice and send it downstream," Ohler explained.
Forecasted rain and above-freezing temperatures could do the trick, but if the ice doesn't get the nudge it needs, the upcoming wet weather could cause more flooding along the Housatonic.
Kent’s mutual aid partners were notified and emergency routes were established on Sunday
"We have a plan in place for the next three days, as far as if additional evacuations need to happen. We’ve broken the town up into different zones," Ohler said.
Officials have marked Thursday on their calendars. They are cautiously optimistic the ice jam will break apart by then. Otherwise, it may push the river out of its banks again.
