'Worst they've ever seen.' Businesses in downtown Westport assess flood damage and clean up
At Sconset Square, Deadman Brook rose well above its banks sending rushing floodwaters into nearby businesses.
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Businesses in downtown Westport spent Monday cleaning up after rain hammered the area Sunday, causing extensive flooding.
At Sconset Square, Deadman Brook rose well above its banks, turning the parking lot and nearby Post Road into a lake. All of the square's businesses saw flooding to some degree, including Casa Me.
The restaurant has been at this location for nearly four years.
"We're aware that the creek floods. But we've never witnessed the creek flooding," said Casa Me's owner, Mario Fontana.
Fontana took video from inside his restaurant, showing the rising floodwaters rushing by.
"According to people who've been here for decades, this is the worst they've ever seen," Fontana told News 12.
Fontana said his business was fortunate. Staff members were already prepping before the rain began. They did what they could to keep the water from getting inside while funneling any that did into drains.
"The other tenants in Sconset Square aren't as lucky because they didn't have staff here at 7 a.m., and a lot of them have basements and we don't," Fontana explained.
"Yesterday was fast and furious and took a lot of people by surprise. I feel like in Westport in general," said Kelley Schutte, who works at nearby Bungalow.
Bungalow was open Monday but still drying some stuff out.
The store's neighbor, The Flat, wasn't as lucky.
"At one point, the force of the water may have cracked open one of the doors and opened up one of the doors, but luckily one of the residents here came and saw it and closed it," Schutte explained.
Clean-up throughout the square was ongoing Monday. A dumpster from a nearby business still sat in the brook.
"The crews here at the square came in immediately to clean up the parking lot, and it's pretty amazing what they've done."
Casa Me will be back to serving customers Tuesday, but the outdoor patio will take a little time to put back together. Fontana's been on the phone with his supplier to get new furniture and heaters.
"I think we probably started with 60 to 70 outdoor chairs. I think there's still about 25 or 30 chairs that are missing. We were able to recover some chairs that we found in the creek down by the library," Fontana said. "People are fishing out our chairs and promised to return them."
