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One water main break flooded streets and basements on the Upper East Side, while another shut down water service on the Upper West Side.

Restaurateur Giovanni Nicolosi could not hide the frustration he's feeling about the water main that ruptured outside his business on Broadway between 105th and 106th streets. The break in the 12-inch main sent a foot of water into the basements of businesses on the east side of the street, including his.

Nicolosi said the flooding destroyed the kitchen of his Italian restaurant, Meridiana.

“The damage is, I don't know when I'll be able to open because the stove, the refrigerator, everything got under a couple feet of water,” Nicolosi said. “Motors, engines, thermos, copper everything is gone. Everything needs to be replaced.”

Upper West Side business owner Ken Mamadou had much the same reaction after taking a first-hand look at his flooded basement.

“I don't know. I just came to open and they said I got a flood, the water main broke,” recalled Mamadou. “The water came down the basement. I can't do nothing about it. I’m frustrated but you don't have any choice. It's life.”

Across town, residents and business owners were dealing with similar problems. Another 12-inch main dating back to 1917 ruptured just after midnight on First Avenue between 61st and 62nd streets.

Two lanes of traffic were shut down, restaurants didn't have hot water to cook with, and a condo at 350 East 62nd Street didn't have heat or hot water.

It's not how residents wanted to start their week.

“I actually drove back to Brooklyn to my parents apartment, took a shower, and came back to get my stuff,” said one resident. “Then I have to get back in the car, bring it back to Brooklyn, and then off to work.”

City officials said the cold weather was likely responsible for the breaks.

Business owners say they can't begin to calculate how much money they've lost due to the flooding. They say their first priority is to get their basements pumped out, and their business back up and running as soon as they can.