Two summer storms that flooded the Town House, Elizabeth Taber Library and the Recreation Department’s Atlantis Drive facility caused approximately $34,000 worth of damage.

Town Administrator Paul Dawson described the storms as “freak events that haven’t happened before and hopefully won’t happen again” at the Selectmen’s Tuesday night meeting.

The first storm occurred in July and dropped three inches of water in less than an hour. Water flooded the basements of the municipal buildings, which had to be pumped out and later dried to prevent mold. The second storm happened in September and was less damaging.

Dawson told Selectmen the town received a $12,000 reimbursement check from the insurance company. A second $12,000 check is expected soon, as is a $10,000 reimbursement for the September storm.

“Have we done anything to prevent flooding issues?” asked Chair Stephen Cushing.

Dawson said additional drains were installed several years ago to keep water out of the basement. Also, pipes were re-routed to direct water away from the property.

While those changes have helped, the summer storms had an unexpectedly high volume of water that fell during a high tide, preventing proper drainage.

“I don’t want to use the cliche, but it was a perfect storm,” Dawson said.

Selectman Jody Dickerson, who is also the director of the Recreation Department, said the flooding in his building was surprising.

“We’ve been there at Atlantis Drive for four years and this was the first time we had water in the basement,” he said. “It’s always been very, very dry.”