Restoration crews are still cleaning eight Kearny Mesa garages after a huge water main break in Birdland. NBC 7’s Vanessa Herrera reports on where the cost estimate sits as of Sept. 8, 2014.
A problematic water line that caused at least $160,000 in damage is fixed, but clean-up is far from over.
Kearny Mesa residents are still grappling with damage from an enormous flood that washed through their neighborhood, thanks to a break in an 18-inch cast iron water main last Wednesday. The incident left about 2,600 customers without water, including four hospitals.
The more than 700,000 gallons of water – which flowed waist-deep in some areas – swamped eight garages, one belonging to Victor Horbaniuk.
“I just didn’t realize that it was so involved,” he said Monday, surveying the now-dry damage. “There’s so much that needs to be done. There’s a long way to go I think.”
Horbaniuk said luckily, almost everything ruined is replaceable, like tools, batteries and other household items.
Restoration crews have been out along Meadow Lark Drive in the Birdland community through the weekend, cleaning up the mess. Horbaniuk told NBC 7 that workers arrive first thing in the morning and stay until 9 p.m. or later.
Even so, more must be done.
Local
Greg Bych with the city’s risk management department estimates the structure damage to each garage is roughly $20,000: $160,000 in total. That includes the city contractor’s work cutting out damaged drywall, wood, insulation and making sure the area sterilized before replacing it.
However, that dollar amount does not cover the value of damaged content inside, which residents have to tally up and submit in a claim to the city.
"I understand I can even file a claim for the electricity they're using because everything they've been using, they've plugging into my electrical outlets,” Horbaniuk said of the clean-up crews. “So I'm kind of waiting until the dust settles and then I'll file my claim once I see what is involved."
Bych said both the residents and the city have to agree on damage estimates before any cash is shelled out. Once the agreement is made, a resident should have a check within a week.
It could take months before the last claim is submitted, at which point the city will have a complete total of the water main break’s cost, according to Bych.
The city sets aside money from its public liability fund to pay for damages caused by water and sewer line breaks.
