A year ago this week, rivers swelled, basements and neighborhoods flooded and bridges collapsed during a rainstorm the likes of which few people in the region had ever witnessed.

A year later, some area towns are still trying to repair their damaged roads, bridges and buildings. North Stonington is crippled by a missing bridge at the center of town that divides Main Street in two, fire trucks cannot use a damaged bridge in Old Mystic and Old Saybrook will likely have to spend millions of dollars to replace its flood-damaged police department.

Most towns faced significant cleanup and repairs and applied for relief funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which reimbursed towns for 75 percent of the costs.

For example, East Lyme requested $107,176 from FEMA, most of it for protective engineering and road and bridge repair. In Salem, where a bridge on Witch Meadow Road was closed and had to be reinspected before reopening, First Selectman Kevin Lyden said the town had $65,000 in damage. FEMA reimbursed the town $44,000.

In Montville, Finance Director Terry Hart said the flooding caused about $285,000 in damage, of which FEMA covered $213,000.

Here's how some of the towns in the region are doing a year later:

Griswold

The town has spent more than $93,000 to repair roadways and buildings and pay overtime to employees.

The town estimates it will cost $316,000 to repair the extensive damage the storm caused, according to Finance Director Barbara Richardson Crouch. That includes emergency repairs made to failed catch basins and damaged culverts, repaving and curbing on Popple Bridge, Colonel Brown and Sheldon roads and the Sheldon Road bridge. FEMA will reimburse the town $237,000.

Road Superintendent Todd Babbitt said his department will also improve drainage in the affected areas and build an additional retaining wall to protect the wastewater treatment plant in Jewett City.

Groton

Two significant challenges remain in Groton. At the northern end of River Road in Mystic repairs are still in progress. Jersey barriers line the roadway, limiting traffic to a single lane.

Town Manager Mark Oefinger said flood damage left the town with 41 infrastructure projects, from damaged curbs, roads and sidewalks to eroding earth beneath bridges.

In the City of Groton, two retaining walls gave way, including one at Electric Boat.

City Planner Barbara Goodrich said flooding caused the erosion of a terraced slope that damaged the wall at the base of the slope. On Thames Street, near Paul's Pasta, flooding knocked down a rock wall that at one time served as both a retaining wall and as the foundation for a building.

A pile of debris and a pickup truck damaged in the collapse remain, and the area is fenced off to prevent pedestrian access.

The full scope of the damage and repair work will not be determined until a contractor is prepared to complete the work, which is expected to happen this summer, Goodrich said.

Ledyard

Ledyard has received $92,576 from FEMA with $35,000 going to reimburse the town for repairing washouts on Lambtown and Shewville roads and problems on Lantern Hill Road. Nearly $8,000 was for incentive pay to the Ledyard and Gales Ferry fire departments.

"They did such an incredible job. They were up for days pumping out basements," Councilor and Finance Committee Chairman Jim Diaz said. "I heard stories of guys getting two hours of sleep a day. They were really heroes in the whole flood event we had."

North Stonington

A gaping hole still remains where the Old Town Hall Bridge stood, but a new span could be in its place by the end of the year.

The $1.2 million cost is part of the approximately $2.5 million the town requested from FEMA. The West Village Green Bridge, also damaged by the flood, could cost $200,000 to repair. The town would pay 25 percent.

Overtime for emergency personnel, demolition of the damaged Watermark building and other road, building and engineering costs make up the rest of the town's storm-related costs.

Norwich

While the city still has some lingering evidence of the flood, some temporary fixes of washed-out roads and storm drains should soon be replaced with permanent repairs.

Public Works Director Barry Ellison said "the usual spots" along city streets received wash-out damage, including Mediterranean Lane. He is requesting $115,000 in the capital budget to install new drains and widen and repave the road.

Most dramatic was collapse of a retaining wall on School Street in the steep Jail Hill neighborhood. City crews repaired the retaining wall for $12,122.

Norwich submitted a $402,146 bill to FEMA and received approval for $301,609.

Raging water thrashed the timbers in the historic Greeneville Dam, still used for hydropower by the city-owned utility. The Greeneville canal wall also suffered damage where old wooden gates could not withstand the water pressure.

Repairs to the dam and canal wall should be done in July and cost about $140,000 while the 10th Street hydropower plant, also on the Shetucket River in Greeneville, is expected to be repaired this summer for about $35,000, said Christopher LaRose, operations manager for Norwich Public Utilities.

Emergency Management Director Gene Arters said that two weeks ago, when the state again was under a flood watch, his phone was ringing off the hook.

"The spring 2010 floods are really reverberating in their minds," he said. "They were really expecting the same thing to happen again."

Old Lyme

Old Lyme faced $21,300 in repairs to Grassy Hill and Flat Rock Hill roads and Lords Meadow Lane, which were damaged by flooding, First Selectman Timothy Griswold said. The flood also overtopped Rogers Lake dam, which cost $4,937 to fix. The most expensive storm-related cost, at $25,039, was the disposal of storm debris. The town spent $78,432 and received $58,824 from FEMA. All work has been done.

Old Saybrook

In June, a couple of months after the basement of the police station flooded, the Old Saybrook Department of Police Services moved its station to a leased building at 6 Custom Drive.

The department pays $3,000 a month in rent for the 20,000-square-foot office space. While the rent is fixed for three years it will skyrocket to $140,000 in the fourth year, according to First Selectman Michael Pace.

Meanwhile town officials have to decide whether to renovate it or more likely, demolish the building and build a new station.

The first design would have cost about $10.5 million, about double what Pace had expected. Pace plans to reassemble a new committee but work is still about a year and a half away.

Spera said the department did not seek FEMA funds because its insurance carrier paid to relocate the department. The town did get FEMA money for other storm-related expenses.

Stonington

Stonington was one of the hardest-hit towns. Floodwaters inundated homes and businesses in Old Mystic, where a bridge over Route 184 was torn out. In Pawcatuck there were fears about the safety of bridges that spanned the raging Pawcatuck River along with worries that some old dams would break and flood neighborhoods.

A year later, most of the repairs have been made.

The state replaced the bridge on Route 184 and reopened it last fall. The town received almost $220,000 in FEMA funding to cover many of its storm costs.

Among the many projects were fixing drainage on Pequotsepos Road, replacing a small bridge on Collins Road and repairing a bridge on Greenhaven Road. A section of Jerry Browne Road damaged by an emergency release of water from the Aquarion Water Co. dam was also repaired.

The Stillman Avenue bridge in Pawcatuck was closed in the days immediately after the flood. Large potholes in the bridge still expose the steel rebar below. Although it was deemed safe to use, the town and its Rhode Island next-door neighbor, Westerly, now plan to spend some of the $40,000 they have each contributed to design a replacement project to make immediate repairs.

The town is also talking to Groton officials about jointly replacing the closed bridge on North Stonington Road in Old Mystic. Damage has forced the town to lower the vehicle weight limit, which means fire trucks from the nearby Old Mystic department can no longer use it.

The town and Ledyard have also agreed to share the $30,000 cost of designing a replacement for the Lantern Hill Road bridge. That work was needed before the flood. The span remains open.

Waterford

Floodwaters damaged more than 20 roads in Waterford, causing $2.7 million in damages.

The town has repaired sections of Great Neck and Old Norwich roads, which were particularly hard hit, and requested $1.4 million from FEMA.

But there are 13 more roads to repair, First Selectman Daniel Steward said. He said the town requested federal money for damaged roads and for town equipment, including two police cars ruined during the flood. The town also spent $32,394 in overtime pay for police, dispatchers and maintenance staff.

Open houses for FEMA flood maps

The FEMA Region I office and the state Department of Environmental Protection will hold public information open houses for residents interested in learning more about the new FEMA flood maps.

The open houses will be held:

• 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m. April 13 at DEP Marine Headquarters (333 Ferry Road in Old Lyme);

• 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m. April 14 at Griswold Town Hall (28 Main St. in Jewett City).