I was just 16 years old and we had just lost our father in December, leaving my mom with 13 children to care for.

We lived in Norfolk, Conn., on Route 44, near East Canaan. The road was completely washed out. What once was Route 44 became a raging river. We saw pieces of houses and furniture go by and a car float by and were very scared that the whole mountain behind us was going to come down. We could not get to a store for anything but had to walk up to a store.

It was a long time before we had transportation, but people did bring some food to us and we walked to get food and water. My little brother was only 9 months old. My mom held the family together and made sure we were taken care of. It was a nightmare.

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There was a man down the road from us who saved a man and woman after their house went down. He has passed away long ago. He was a hero in at that time. His name was Frank Treadway.