Businesses, homes weather the storm

New Haven (WTNH) - Many homes and businesses were substantially impacted after Tuesday morning's storms rolled through the state. A West Haven apartment complex was struck by lightening, effecting many of its residents.

Cancun's Family Mexican Restaurant, in New Haven, is now an island with rising flood waters on all sides.

"It happened before but not that bad," said Cancun's Victor Romero. "I don't know, maybe something going on with the construction on the site. I'm shocked."

Romero was just gearing up for a grand re-opening. Now, a broom leans against a wall where restaurant personnel tried to vigorously sweep all the water away. But with the flooding up to the back doorstep, their efforts were not enough.

"It's a lot of water, destroyed the whole kitchen, went into the kitchen, it went into the bathroom, went into the basement, have to re-do the whole hardwood floors now," said Romero. "It's a lot of work."

They weren't the only ones struggling with the storms. Roads were clogged, even closed, and cars cautiously entered intersections overwhelmed by heavy rains.

In West Haven, the fire department kept a close eye on the weather, especially on the lightening.

"A lot of times, it doesn't actually hit a building but we were able to actually see this one hit from the firehouse which is just on the other side of this building," said Deputy Chief Scott Schwartz of the West Haven Fire Department.

The fire department saw a spark, the result of a direct hit to the nearby Elm Court Apartment Complex.

"There's one entry point and there's five or six exit points along the ridge line of the building itself," said Deputy Chief Schwartz.

The lightening hit the roof and debris rained down directly below. The building caught fire effecting a half-dozen apartments. Two were so badly damaged that the tenants had to be re-located. No one was hurt but the strength of the storm, and the extraordinary power of just a quick flash of lightning, left a lasting impression.

"It sounded like a big firecracker, like an M-80," said onlooker Richard Allspaugh of West Haven. "Loud. I mean, real loud."

Firefighters say a direct hit like that, with that force, is relatively rare.