LISTEN TO THE RAIN
A SPECIAL REPORT
Most of Kahala Mall's many stores are open, but theaters remain closed
BUSINESSES
Kahala Mall is open for business, except for the Kahala 8 movie theaters, Borders Express and the Watch Station kiosk.
It is the largest known local business complex with lasting damage from extreme rainfall and flooding on March 31.
General Manager Ron Yoda cannot even guess how much damage the mall suffered.
"The first priority was to get all the water out and get it back online, so we've been incurring a lot of work and, I'm sure, a lot of dollars," Yoda said. "We aren't at that point yet where we're adding up all the dollars."
He said he imagines that many if not most tenants are in a similar situation, but "at some point we might get a cumulative number."
Mall officials have been talking with the U.S. Small Business Administration about assistance.
In her tour earlier this month through the devastated mall, Gov. Linda Lingle "lifted everybody's spirits. ... She was here on a mission of assistance; it was more than just 'showing face,'" Yoda said.
Assessors are still working on damage estimates for the movie theaters, according to Rachel Saunders, publicist for Consolidated Theatres' parent company, Pacific Theatres Corp. in California. There is no reopening date for the theaters.
Saunders said 21 of the 28 mall theater employees have been reassigned to other Consolidated theaters, and the rest have decided to "seek other employment."
Other businesses, such as Frog House Restaurant at 1604 Kalakaua Ave., also continue to suffer.
The restaurant closed the day of the flooding and the next day, and closed again Tuesday for another round of cleaning due to a bad smell that had developed.
The eatery's refrigerator and water heater, damaged in the flood, have been repaired twice. Each day of closure costs $2,000 to $2,500, and losses of spoiled food and soggy supplies have Manager Rocky Lim estimating damage and losses at more than $6,000.