Several businesses in the Klarides Shopping Plaza in Seymour were destroyed by floodwaters on Sunday.
Storm cleanup continued in Seymour after that devastating flood earlier this week.
It caused significant damage to a number of businesses at Klarides Village, a popular shopping plaza in town and what locals call the "heart of Seymour."
Seymour Fire Chief Chris Edwards said there are 14 shops in that plaza, and as many as 10 were destroyed in Sunday's storm, including a quilt shop that has been there for over a decade.
"When I saw it, it was just like, 'Holy cow. Like, what do we do,'" said Cheryl Ogrisek, owner of Yankee Quilter LLC in Seymour.
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That was Ogrisek's reaction to the footage on her security camera, which captured the moment water rushed through her store.
The shop filled up with so much water, it pushed shelves and items all around, causing what Ogrisek says is about $400,000 worth of damage.
"I have a lot of inventory. I have a lot of sewing machines, high end sewing machines, and that's not including my furniture and fixtures," Ogrisek said.
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Ogrisek has been in business for more than 20 years, selling supplies for people to make their own quilts. She also hosted classes.
Ogrisek moved her store to Klarides Village 13 years ago, and while she and her husband are heartbroken to watch it go, she says they're focused on rebuilding.
"I think by the time my husband actually pulled that together and spliced all the video, I was done crying and over the whole heartbreak of it all, and I went into 'how we fix this' mode," Ogrisek said.
On Wednesday, she had the help of her family as well as people from the community in 'fix it' mode, including a few high school students, who go back to class next week.
"This is where everyone goes. This is the heart of town, so I just wanted to get everybody here. We just wanted to organize something where high school students can come rebuild something that's really important to them," said incoming senior Brooke Hennessey, of Seymour.
Chief Edwards said he expects these businesses to be closed for at least six months. But one thing about Ogrisek, she knows what it takes to stick around.
"'I've been through two recessions with the business, I've been through the pandemic, I had breast cancer last year, this is nothing," Ogrisek said.
It's a long road ahead for the diner next door as well.
"Basically, there's nothing we can save," said Mike Ave, owner of Route 67 Diner and Family Restaurant.
A 10-year-old restaurant and a staple in the community, gone, in minutes, after a devastating flood.
"From kitchen to seating, I'm mean, there's nothing," Abe said.
Abe opened his diner at Klarides Village Plaza in Seymour in 2014, and he said he never experienced a storm quite like this.
"Never think about it even a minute. We never had any problem like that," Abe said.
He said his restaurant closed for the day at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and the very next morning, he walked into a mess and his livelihood turned upside down. Furniture scattered, the wall cracked and the floor covered in mud.
"You know, I figured I would come in and put a day in for them," Donald Willette, of Seymour, said.
Willette is a regular customer who just wanted to help. He was inside the diner Wednesday, shoveling inches-thick mud. Others took out all the tables and chairs to throw out or donate.
"You know, you just come in and give a hand as much as possible, and hopefully they can see some light at the end of the tunnel," Willette said.
Abe said he thinks it will cost $400,000 to $500,000 to rebuild. He said the shops at Klarides Plaza don't have flood insurance, so he hopes the state and federal government can provide some financial relief.
But he said what's giving him hope most of all is the community's support.
"That's why I will promise this town I will be back. I don't know how long it's going to take, but we will be back, and we will be better and stronger," Abe said.
