Officials assess flood damage

Gov. Lingle calls the extent of destruction "dramatic" in places

State and city officials surveyed more than 23 homes and 17 businesses yesterday that suffered damage in Friday's torrential downpour and flooding and warned cleanup costs and damage would be in the millions.

Gov. Linda Lingle took an air and ground tour of Oahu, flying over Lake Wilson, Maili, Tantalus, Windward Oahu and the North Shore. She called the destruction "quite dramatic."

State Civil Defense teams will continue assessing damage areas today as part of the process toward requesting a presidential disaster declaration, said state Civil Defense spokesman Ray Lovell.

Lingle has not yet decided whether to ask for the declaration, which would cover all the storms that have hit the state since Feb. 20. Lovell said the storm on Friday left "quite a bit of damage" on Oahu.

"It's scattered," he said. "But it appears there was probably more in this one than any of the other storms that have hit Oahu on a single day."

At Kahala Mall yesterday, fans were blowing hot air through large plastic tubes to dry carpets out while contractors were working around the clock to ready the mall for a planned re-opening Tuesday morning.

Floodwaters entered the mall's theaters Friday from Hunakai Street, breaking down a wall and sending patrons fleeing. Water spread throughout the first floor of the mall, soaking carpets and merchandise.

Foot Locker workers said at least a thousand pairs of shoes were ruined, each of which cost at least $50. At Morgan Beret Fine Lingerie & Bed Linen, the worry was not so much about what was in their shop but what was being stored in their basement.

"I heard the water was up to their waist in there and I haven't seen that yet," said store owner Julie Hassel. "Just eyeing it out in the shop, I'd say we lost at least $20,000 so far."

While most stores in the mall were closed, others with separate entrances like Longs, Star Market and Macy's and those on the second floor remained open. Scott Creel, the mall's regional marketing director, said the first priority for rehabilitating the mall was to remove all of the water.

He said it is unclear how much the cleanup will cost. "Right now, cost isn't the issue," he said, adding that the mall is insured for common areas. It is up to each merchant to insure damage to their businesses.

The mall was supposed to begin a two-week spring promotion yesterday, with fashion shows and other activities. The promotion will start once the mall reopens, Creel said.

Lingle, state Adjutant Gen. Robert Lee and Civil Defense vice director Ed Teixeira inspected the mall yesterday and also visited Puuhonua Street in Manoa, where resident Michael Hoffman, volunteers and state crews have used sandbags and barricades to keep a landslide out of his home for the past 10 days.

"I would have preferred to meet the governor under more favorable circumstances, not this," Hoffman said.

Lingle said the state and the city may need to look at zoning laws and whether people should be allowed to build next to streams and mountainsides.

"This is going to continue to happen. It's not going to stop," she said. "People who live next to these areas need to be vigilant."

People piled up waterlogged belongings in several neighborhoods yesterday along Makiki Stream, which overflowed near Moku Place and Keeaumoku Street in Makiki and along Kalakaua Avenue in McCully.

Oahu Civil Defense volunteers said they helped residents fill out about 50 disaster assistance forms and are still assessing how bad the situation is.

"Many of the homes had first floors on the same level as the street, so you can imagine what a 2-foot wave of water could do," said deputy volunteer coordinator Tom Fake.

Frog House Korean restaurant manager Rocky Lim was able to reopen his Kalakaua Avenue business yesterday, even though the water shorted out a refrigerator, ruined a water heater and spilled mud and debris all across the floor on Friday.

"Everything all messed up, all wet," Lim said. "We clean all day."

Lim said he and his brother took over the business about a year ago and that the previous owners warned that the stream would sometimes overflow and throw mud in their parking lot, but "nothing like this," he said. "Every day we stay closed, we lose about $2,000; it was huge, the damage."

Meanwhile, National Weather Service forecasters had good news yesterday, saying the low pressure system which has plagued one island or another since Feb. 19 is finally moving on.

There was sunshine on much of Oahu yesterday, though heavy rains were situated on Kahuku by afternoon. A flash-flood warning was issued, and a flash-flood watch remains in effect through 4 p.m. today.

"Our chances for rain are diminishing and it looks like that will hold," said lead forecaster Robert Ballard. "We're sort of at the tail end, not out of the woods yet. But overall we're doing pretty good."

RECORD RAINFALL Rainfall last month broke all-time monthly records and records for March in several locations on Oahu and Kauai. ALL-TIME MONTHLY RAINFALL Mount Waialeale March 2006: 93.71 inches All-time record: 90.07 inches (set April 1971) Lihue Airport March 2006: 35.95 inches All-time record: 22.91 inches (set December 1968) Punaluu March 2006: 37.55 inches All-time record: 36.7 inches (set January 1922) NEW MARCH RECORDS Moloaa, Kauai March 2006: 23.84 inches Previous record: 21.97 inches (set 1951) Waimanalo March 2006: 22.29 inches Previous record: 19.43 inches (set 1963)