It's nearly fall, and the rains that triggered flooding along Lake Ontario are long gone. That's allowed water levels in the lake to drop, even though they're still higher than normal.
Now life is finally returning to normal at one waterfront restaurant near Rochester, N.Y.
Mike McKeon, who runs Silk O'Laughlin's on the Genessee River, told WXXI that water from Lake Ontario started flooding the restaurant in May, and he had to wait until it receded before repairs could begin.
"To prevent mold, we took the walls off, the drywall behind it, the insulation. And then as we waited we said well, let's take the ceiling down. I had the ceiling off and my heat is up there and the guy who does my heating said that's 15 years old and might as well pull it," he said.
Now, "Olie's" is reopening. But there's no recovering lost business -- and McKeon estimates that 75 percent of it comes from May to September.
Jack Lynch, who has owned the building for 35 years, hasn't calculated the total cost of renovations -- which included a new outdoor deck installed by volunteers. But a state aid fund for flood victims could help.
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