LEOMINSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Floodwaters that washed out roadways and left cars dangling from pavement in Leominster on Monday also did a number on multiple downtown businesses, causing at least part of a building to collapse while flooding out others.
Part of a local bridge also gave way near Mechanic Street as nearby buildings dealt with rising water.
The Tilton & Cook Market Place off of Spruce Street suffered not only extensive water damage, but saw its windows taken out and a docking bay door ripped off after the neighboring Monoosnoc Brook overflowed, sending water through the building.
“It’s just an absolute mess – just everything is flooded through the hallways, just all of the stuff from all the units that they have in there are just completely destroyed,” one person who had their business flooded told 7NEWS.
The waters caused the ground to buckle, causing part of the building to collapse and take down a section of roof down with it. Bricks could also be seen dangling in the air beside collapsed walls and exposed flea market merchandise.
“People’s product everywhere – it’s just not a good scene,” said Craig Ehrenwald, who works inside the collapsed building. “A lot of people, this is how they pay their rent and it’s hard.”
Dozens of businesses work out of the marketplace, with many of their wares ruined after high waters flowed through the area, as well as through neighboring businesses and others across the city.
“I heard the dam let go and the river ran right through it and took out the entire first floor,” business owner Heather Dinitto told 7NEWS. “The bay doors, the garages, gone, the dumpsters are floating. My whole life is gone. My whole business, my entire everything, that’s my life right there, it’s gone, and we’re starting from scratch again.”
During her survey of the area on Tuesday, Governor Maura Healey stopped to see the destruction while touring the rest of the storm damage. During a news conference, she said she was pushing for federal funds in the wake of the storm and had reached out to both the Biden administration and Massachusetts’ congressional representatives.
In the meantime, business owners were left picking up what pieces they can.
“Around eight o’clock last night, the sky opened up, and I mean opened up,” said Freddy Basantes Sr., who showed 7NEWS how surging waters higher than his waist hit his building at Monument Square, pushing in and breaking a door before flooding the inside.
Video shared with 7NEWS separately showed part of a bridge on Mechanic Street collapsing close to the Monument Square area as conditions deteriorated Monday night, with water seen first filling the street before part of the bridge itself gave way.
On Tuesday, workers could be seen pumping out water and removing furniture from the nearby Fix Burger Bar. Part of their work included scrubbing the massive amount of mud left behind once the water had been cleared.
Basantes Sr. said they’ll likely have to remove walls and rebuild part of the restaurant.
“Oh my God, you know?” he told 7NEWS. “It’s the only reaction we can come up with.”
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