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BALTIMORE – Businesses around City Dock in downtown Annapolis suffered the worst flooding since Hurricane Isabel more than 20 years ago.
As business owners and employees cleaned up Wednesday after a storm that brought incessant rain and strong wind gusts, they were told not to open until further notice.
[Downtown Annapolis sees record flooding, new barriers serve as temporary defense]
Annapolis leaders argue that the owners are being kept in the dark because there are still too many risks to reopen these businesses.
“We don’t know what’s going on at this point,” said Ryan Ramey, owner of Pip’s on Dock Street. “As a small business owner, I would expect to be closed for a week or two, but that’s not something I can do.”
Ramey told WJZ that he expected the closure to last less than a day after Tuesday’s storm and flooding.
But a red sign posted on the door said his business was not suitable for human habitation.
“They just said, ‘Please close until you get tested.’” That’s it,” Lamy said. “I don’t know anything else, and neither does anyone else on this street.”
Pip’s is one of eight red-signed stores on Dock Street, which also includes Storm Brothers Ice Cream.
“Then there was a power outage. Of course, if the pumps didn’t work, we would be at a complete loss,” owner Svein Strom said. “Water came in and damaged all the freezers.”
Unlike Ramey, the Storm Brothers were looking at about $60,000 to rebuild after the flood, and the bright red sign was the centerpiece.
“How can they criticize my business without even going into it?” Arashi said.
Lamy said there are no clear answers on what needs to be done to reopen or how long testing will take.
“He’s telling me I have to take down the walls? So I’m a little freaked out right now, to say the least.”
A spokesperson for the city of Annapolis told WJZ that the store closure was a sanitary measure because the property was flooded with 18 inches of water.
The Department of Health has the final say on when to reopen.
But Lamy says the clock is ticking because his livelihood is at stake.
“It’s scary because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Lamy said. “I don’t know how long all of this is going to take. I have bills to pay, my employees have bills to pay, and now they’re out of work. ”
The city says this is not a typical procedure and that the red flag is only in place because of high water levels Tuesday night.
This storm is the third worst to affect the area.
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