Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Businesses across the North End are trying to recover after flooding impacted their operations.
Heavy rains in Massachusetts earlier this week forced establishments like Improv Asylum not only to shut down but to also relocate. The comedy club is officially out of commission because of the two feet of water in its basement. Located at 216 Hanover St., the club announced its move to Boston's Theatre District while clearing out its basement. It will resume scheduled performances at its sister venue, Lil Chuck, a basement venue beneath the Charles Playhouse.
Just two doors down from the comedy club, the Italian restaurant Lucca was also forced to shut its doors. According to management, the restaurant closed early Monday morning because of heavy rainfall that led to the flooding.
Employees at the coffee shop, The Thinking Cup, spent the beginning of the week preparing to reopen after experiencing the worst flooding in the history of their store.
"We had some flooding on Monday as well. It wasn't like too crazy; we don't have any permanent damage and stuff," said a barista. "It has rained before, and we've had to deal with this, but never to the point where we had to shut down."
After meeting with the health inspector, The Thinking Cup reopened its doors to customers. There is no word on when Improv Asylum or Lucca will resume operations.
The Boston Department of Water and Sewer Commissioner told WBZ NewsRadio they work closely with restaurant owners to make sure there are no additional backups from grease in the combined storm and sewer system.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.