CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mie Wells owns Aloha Mortgage at the Century Center. The business is still recovering from the flood, with plastic boxes full of damaged files still waiting to be scanned and shredded.
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Tower owners face deluge of flood woes
The general manager of a 41-story McCully high-rise is worried that insurance might not be enough to cover the damage endured by the building during flooding on March 31.
But that is not the only problem affecting residents of the multiuse Century Center Condominium building across from the Hawai'i Convention Center. Mold is becoming a problem.
"The biggest fear is mold growth. When you get into that, you get into some serious dollars, not to mention health hazards," General Manager Mike Baker said.
On March 31 more than two feet of rainwater from Kalakaua Avenue and stream water that overflowed Makiki Stream rushed into the driveway and corridor of the building. Sandbags and flood pumps could not stop the waters from entering the property.
Already, damage to eight businesses and eight elevator shafts is estimated at $217,000.
Flood insurance coverage for the building is $500,000.
Baker said the building is considered to be in a flood-zone area because of the proximity of the stream.
COURTESY MIKE BAKER
A flood brought in 37 inches of rain into the drive-in parts of the building, like the area above shown on March 31.
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Baker said he does not know where they will turn to if costs exceed their insurance limit, and he fears residents and commercial tenants might have to dip into their own pockets.
So far, two of eight businesses have temporarily closed as contractors cut out sections of drywall to check for mold.
The Art & Sandwiches eatery closed Tuesday until further notice as contractors continued their work.
Other businesses also are preparing to shut down for a couple of weeks.
Mie Wells, owner of Aloha Mortgage and Finance, said she might need to close her office for about three weeks and look at other options to run her business.
Almost a foot and a half of water seeped into Aloha Mortgage.
Wells said she is disappointed that they are going to be temporarily displaced, but glad that something is being done to clean up mold and water damage.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ron Sulvita, from All Maintenance and Repair, at top, surveyed the drywall yesterday that is being replaced at the Century Center. Tower businesses are still recovering from the flood that brought in 37 inches of rain into the drive-in parts of the building, like the area above shown on March 31.
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Tenants also remain concerned about the stream. Some say it has never been dredged, and they fear more flooding if heavy rain returns.
Gordon Imata, owner of Imata and Associates, a civil engineering company, said his office was filled with ankle-deep chocolate brown-colored water.
"Some flood control project is necessary to increase capacity. It doesn't have the cross section to carry the flow from upstream," Imata said.
But a city official had said at a Disaster Relief Community Forum held Tuesday at Washington Middle School that there are no flood control plans for Makiki Stream at this time. City officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.
While observing a small mount of sediment in Makiki Stream, Baker said, "Dredging is necessary here. ... They need to dredge this thing out."
He noted that the stream almost overflowed at least twice during the recent 43-day rainy-weather period before the March 31 incident.
The state owns Makiki Stream from King Street to Philip Street, and the city owns the stream from Philip Street to the Ala Wai Canal.
The Association of Apartment Owners of Century Center Condominium was to hold a board meeting today to discuss the flooding issue and damage to the building.