Leominster continues to rebuild one year after historic flooding [Video]

One year after catastrophic flooding ravaged parts of Leominster, a lot of work and a need for funding remain.

Mayor Dean Mazzarella recalled the momentous event for the city on the first anniversary of the floods in an interview with Boston 25 News Wednesday.

“It’s something you can’t imagine,” Mazzarella said of the toll of the storm. “There were [collapsed] walls, there were flooded basements, businesses, bridges collapsing. It was everything all at once.”

Mazzarella watched a dumpster float down a street that looked more like a river. The city’s flooded emergency management office had fish inside it from the nearby brook.

But what stands out most to Mazzarella is what thankfully didn’t happen a year ago.

“Once I saw this firsthand, there is no way we’re not going to have loss of life. There’s just no way,” Mazzarella recalled thinking. “Too much is going on too fast. That water is just coming way too …