All stores in the Bower Place Shopping Centre are expected to be open Friday morning after Wednesday evening’s heavy rain caused flooding in several stores and hallways throughout the mall.
General manager John Rooke said Thursday the heavy downpour started coming in wherever it could because the floor drain system could not handle the volume. Security noticed the flooding around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Clean up crews spent Thursday mopping and drying the affected areas. At least 37 tenants in the centre were affected by water. The damage was limited to mostly carpets and boxes in the stores. Rooke said the damage does not seem to be severe, however no damage estimate is available at this time.
As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday only five stores remained closed. Rooke said all stores would be open either Thursday evening or by the latest Friday morning.