It’s been about 10 weeks since John Boccia and his wife, Kelly, experienced one of the worst memories of their lives.

The two were at a loss of words after everything in their basement was destroyed after a city water main broke near their house on Sunday morning, March 22, flooding the area.

Since then, the two have been navigating the challenges together.

“It’s been hard for my wife. She was the one who bought this home, this was her first home,” John said. “And for her to see the damage from that day was hard, knowing what it took for her to get this. But every day we’re getting better.”

The couple got good news last week, as the Lewiston City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $40,000 payout for damage to the Boccias’ home at 6 Diamond Court.

According to city documents, the water main break was considered an “act of God,” an unforeseeable event that cannot be prevented by reasonable care.

“Water main breaks, especially in areas with aging infrastructure, are sometimes cited as such because they are not the result of a homeowner’s maintenance or actions,” city documents say.

The payout comes from the Lewiston’s tax increment financing account related to the New England Clean Energy Connect converter station, which the city is using to shelter property tax revenue generated by the project.

It’s estimated the TIF will provide the city with $1.42 million annually.

The money awarded to the Boccias will be used to replace the home’s furnace and water heater, the property’s outdoor cedar fence, wood that was going to be used for the new family room, pavement for the home, and labor and materials.

On March 22, a water main break at the intersection of Orange Street sent water gushing down Diamond Court. Crews worked quickly to shut off water while working to clean up the flooding on that street.

However, the water quickly filled the Boccia’s basement, with them losing almost everything there. They also lost their family room, which was in construction at the time.

The water main break also forced the city to announce a water boil order until the following day.

The total cost of everything destroyed in that flooding, based on estimates provided by the Boccias, was $74,824.61, nearly double the $39,998.36 the family will receive from the city.

The new family room will have to wait, the Boccias say.

However, they care more about the lengths city officials went to get them any funds at all.

“We thought what we got was fair,” Boccia said. “But what really mattered was that the city took responsibility and followed through. We were the small fish in the big pond with everything the city council is dealing with and they still went above and beyond to pull this off. Everyone from the city administrator to city employees went and made this happen and didn’t push us aside.”

Council members often disagree on certain topics, Boccia said, but when it comes down to it, they can all work together to help others.

“They were doing their best and they did their jobs,” he said. “They deal with so much abuse from the public that when they do something right like this, it’s not recognized, and it should be recognized.”