Flights were cancelled at Tweed New Haven Airport Tuesday after heavy rain and thunderstorms led to flooding inside the terminal and on the tarmac.
Two inches of rain fell in just over an hour, forcing water through the airport doors.
“Water is going to go to the path of least resistance. So once that door is opened it’s going there. Even when you closed the doors, it was forcing the water under the doors and no one had a chance to do anything. It really happened very quickly," explained Rick Fontana, New Haven deputy director of emergency management.
New Haven officials said the flooding was significant and also affected the security screening area, ticketing as well as the departures and arrival area.
Tweed's Airport Manager Jeremy Nielson said crews performed emergency cleanup overnight and the terminal reopened around 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Brian Gjetley was one passengers affected. He says water covered his ankles.. His flight was cancelled last night and rescheduled for today.
"It’s been long and tiring. I thought it was going to be a quick trip for the weekend to see my wife and its turned into quite the ordeal," he said.
While flights resumed late Tuesday afternoon, TSA security is without a critical tool. An x-ray scanning device, used to screen baggage, was damaged. While the technician waits for the parts to come in, TSA screeners will have to screen the bags by hand.
