Derek Bentley’s San Rafael karate studio flooded in January, when a heavy storm hit during one of the highest tides of the year.
Several inches of water rose from under the foundation and filled the building from the inside, soaking the karate mats so thoroughly that they squirted water when Bentley stepped across them.
“We were closed for about a week after the flood,” Bentley said. “Then we opened, but we used air dryers and some of the mats were still wet and we had no carpet for a couple months.”…