Repeated flooding on Main Street irks Westport business owners

Parts of Westport flooded once more during Thursday's storm, with some store owners and residents saying enough is enough.

News 12 Staff

Aug 28, 2020, 8:01 PM

Updated 1,511 days ago

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Parts of Westport flooded again during Thursday's storm, with some store owners and residents saying enough is enough.
Rain squalls turned Main Street into a river Thursday afternoon, according to local business owners.
Gerijo Matyka runs the new Johnny Was store on Main Street and says that the street has completely flooded three times since the store opened less than two months ago. Flood waters were seen sloshing over the curb of the road during the intermittent storms. But Matyka says it doesn't take a major storm to get her business wet. The city should take action, she says, especially to stop traffic through the area when waters rise.
"I don't think they realize the damage it does when they go through and the water jumps the curbs and goes into our store," she said. "Maintain the debris so we don't have drains that are clogged, and the water can't get through and we have to come out."
City officials could not be reached for an interview, but did say the low-lying part of Main Street is within the city's flood zone. The low-lying section is just a few hundred feet from the Saugatuck River, which means the road becomes a deluge when heavy rains hit during high tide.