Onofreo Home Comfort Systems, a heating, air conditioning, and indoor air quality services company based in Milford, supported a Newtown resident with a home heating install after his home was damaged during the August 18 storm.

This came after the company wanted to help a family in need after the then recent natural disasters in Connecticut, according to Onofreo Home Comfort Systems Office Manager Kelly Ruggiero. She said that they reached out to people over social media in late August, encouraging them to nominate a person or family they felt was deserving and why. The company would then install a brand new gas or oil-forced hot air furnace system in their home free of charge.

She added that Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems — Onofreo’s main dealer for heating and cooling equipment — offers something called the “Hero Project,” which honors and recognizes individuals who go above and beyond to support their community as a “True Hero.” Ruggiero said that she had wanted to do it for awhile, and then after the flood happened realized “that this is the perfect opportunity to do that and support the community.”

She added, “We know people’s basements flooded out, and we wanted to do something to help them.”

When the severe storm passed through Connecticut earlier this August, it brought record-breaking torrential rain and flooding across Newtown and the surrounding region.

According to Public Works Director Fred Hurley, Newtown had overall received an average of 12 inches of rain from the storm. The surging water and heavy rainfall washed out dozens of roads, trapped motorists in flooded vehicles, and even flooded and destroyed several homes in the area.

One of the many people impacted by the historic storm was Newtown resident and veteran Michael Linnen. He and his family’s home received four feet of water in their basement, garage, and finished laundry room. In the garage alone, the several feet of water lifted up their appliances and other belongings, causing them to aimlessly float around. Going down into the garage and trying to recover important belongings after the storm meant having to wade through floating brushes, cords, heavy machinery, and more.

Shelves filled with items were now filled with water. Linnen’s boat had floated away from the force of water. His family ultimately lost all of their heating and hot water mechanicals, laundry machines, and power equipment.

Linnen’s mother had reached out to Onofreo in early September, nominating her son as a “True Hero.” She shared photos showcasing the damage the August storm did to their home, as well as information about her son and his continuous history of community service.

Linnen served eight years in active duty with the US Marine Corps, and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Okinawa. According to his mother, Linnen has also assisted other veterans with PTSD, volunteered with Ducks Unlimited and CT Waterfowlers for wildlife conservation, and assisted his sons in coaching middle school football. Linnen had even continued to coach middle school football after his family’s home was devastated.

When she reached out, Linnen’s mother said that her son, his wife, and their five children had been staying at her home for sleep, showers, cooking, and other necessities.

Linnen and his family were eventually selected to receive a new heating system. Ruggiero and Mark Onofreo, owner of Onofreo Home Comfort Systems, had then gone up to Linnen’s home and presented Linnen with his “True Hero” award. According to Ruggiero, First Selectman Jeff Capeci was there for the special occasion.

When Onofreo and Ruggiero got there that day, Ruggiero said that the Linnen’s two dogs had puppies, so nine little German Shepard puppies were hanging out. Between supporting someone in the community and seeing how much joy everyone shared with one another at that time made a “pretty emotional” moment, according to Ruggiero.

“It was just so nice to be able to do something like that,” Ruggiero said. “I wanted to do something like this for years with my old company, but I just never got the go ahead for that. It’s just awesome to give back.”

More than anything else, she said that Linnen wanted his family to stay warm for the winter. Ruggiero said that two Onofreo Home Comfort Systems employees went to Linnen’s house on October 14 to install the new heating system, and that it went up within the day.

This marks the first time that Onofreo Home Comfort Systems has provided something like this for free. Moving forward, Ruggiero says that they will probably do once a year for somebody, because that is their allotment of free air conditioning and heating systems.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.