Back on the block

PEABODY -- Crouched inside his darkened restaurant, the Peabody Coffee House, John Skouras lifted a hatch in the floor and peered down at 4 feet of brown water in the cellar. Somewhere down there, he said, was the restaurant's sprinkler system, soda and beer siphons, and furnace.

''All of them I'm going to have to throw out and start over," said the 73-year-old, a white apron tied around his waist. ''What am I going to do? All my life is here."

On this block of Walnut Street, one of the sections hardest hit by the flooding in Peabody, small business owners returned yesterday to face ruined machinery, warped floors, and spoiled food.

The flooded heart of this city was still beating, but it had suffered a stunning blow.

Business owners, accustomed to the nearby North River spilling over its banks during heavy rains, had tried to prepare as best they could when they heard that floods were coming. Workers heaved sandbags into doorways and covered storefronts with plastic sheeting.

But as they peeled back the layers of protection yesterday, the shop owners began to absorb the damage. City officials said the losses would reach millions of dollars; individual shop owners said they were facing between $5,000 and $20,000 in lost business and damaged equipment.

While city officials focused on tallying the exact financial costs of the storm, the store owners, many of whom have operated family-owned businesses for years, were measuring the less quantifiable toll wrought by the storm. The sons of Portuguese and Greek immigrants, they shared stories, gallows humor, and looked in on one another.

''What do you say? We got everything under control?" called out John Petradelis, 62, owner of Walnut Street Auto Sales, as he popped into Greg's Lounge across the street.

''I'm just trying to clean up the crud," said Harry Berbates, 32, the manager of the pub, as he wiped down glassware with a cloth. ''It's this mix that's come in from the street: sewer water, gasoline, oil, it just covers everything."

Along the street, which was mostly dry yesterday, the whir of sump pumps and the roar of backhoes filled the air.

Everywhere, people seemed to be in motion. Workers mopped floors, washed glassware, and heaved bags of chicken wings, steaks, and french fries into Dumpsters .

''I told them anything that's cardboard or foam, throw it all out," Petradelis said, waving his arms at his mechanics who were scooping out trash from his garage.

The city is hoping that President Bush declares the area a federal disaster zone, which would allow homeowners and businesses to qualify for financial assistance.

Peabody has faced floods from the North River for at least a century. City officials say it is time for the state and federal government to take notice and help pay for the widening of the river, at a cost of about $16 million.

''We can't do it alone," said Dick Carnevale, Peabody's director of public services.

The storm failed to knock out any of the businesses for good, and many of the shop owners interviewed yesterday said they had insurance. Most expected to open today.

Some were not so badly hit. At New England Meat Market, across the street from Walnut Street Auto, workers had barricaded the doors with sandbags Friday, lifted racks of food onto pallets, and sealed the entryway with plastic.

Yesterday, the shop, founded in 1919, was open for business, and customers wandered in, pleased.

''You learn as you go along," said Bill Stephanides, 46, the deli manager. Still, he said, he had to throw out $5,000 worth of meat.

At T&M Auto repair on Walnut Street, mechanics had prepared for the flood by driving customers' vehicles onto a hill and placing electronic gauges on a high shelf. After three days away, the mechanics were back yesterday, mopping out the garage and testing equipment to make sure it ran.

''Is everything going to be perfect? Probably not," said Tony Bettencourt, the owner. ''So far, like I said, it doesn't look too bad."

At Central Bakery, where several feet of water had rotted floors and damaged a bread-slicing machine, Theresa Carvalho, 76, a longtime employee, tried to keep the damage in perspective, as she wiped down a counter. She said she was happy to be alive.

''That's the important thing: We have our life," Carvalho said. ''When we lose a washing machine or a refrigerator, we can buy another, but a life is different."