Back in 1898 Joann Amitrano's great-grandfather bought the building at 4th Avenue and Carroll Street in Gowanus.
Four generations later she is still battling back the flood waters that swamp her place every time there's a torrential downpour.
"You can obviously see that we are at the bottom of the slope, so when there is heavy flooding we get the bulk of it. And the sewer can't absorb any of the water as its coming down," Amitrano said.
The fierce rainstorm overwhelmed the storm drains near the Gowanus Canal and seemingly turned Smith Street into canal tributary.
Only big trucks managed to roll through the knee-high water.
The only people on foot were those siphoning water from basements and ground floor businesses.
Joe Koppelman cleaned up the old fashioned way, with a mop and a bucket.
"Our understanding from the city is that eventually they will re-do all the sewers. But in the interim, we've had, may be this is our sixth flood. It's volume. It's just volume coming down the slope," Koppelman said.
