Businesses assess damage as they clean up from Friday's rainstorm and flooding
Francisco Puebla, owner of Ditmas Park Florist Gift and Garden remembered getting around 18 inches of water in his basement.
Small businesses are still cleaning up from Friday's heavy rains and floods, with some facing massive or minimal losses.
Francisco Puebla, owner of Ditmas Park Florist Gift and Garden, says he got around 18 inches of water in his basement. Puebla added the flooding could have been worse if not for the water pump he had.
"It took me a while," Puebla said. "Then I tried to save as much merchandise as I can."
For Puebla, he said about $20,000 of merchandise stored in the basement was flooded.
The merchandise, however, consisted of flowerpots and bags of soil. He determined there was no loss nor any need to file an insurance claim.
"All the merchandise I emptied out, it was in good condition," Puebla said.
Around 200 businesses sustained damage and losses ranging from minimal to excessive, according to Dina Rabiner with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. She said she and her colleagues ventured out into the neighborhood amid the torrential rains and floods to see what businesses were dealing with.
"I'm sure there's many more that were impacted," Rabiner said. 'That's just those that were emailing through our info email... It might look like it's sunny out today, but businesses are still reeling from this. They don't have the flood insurance, they're not in a coastal area."
Rabiner said a fund was activated to help those businesses in the recovery process. She also emphasized New York City's damage reporting portal.
Businesses and homeowners can report damage and losses there with a chance for relief to be provided. Requirements must be met, such as documenting the damage and loss with pictures.
