By Nicole Ferguson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - For the first time since flood waters raced through Opry Mills Mall, cameras were allowed inside to take a look at the cleanup work.
"When we first saw this in the very beginning, it was devastating," said Lynn Kittel, director of marketing at Opry Mills. "It was just heartbreaking, but now we can really see how it's going to look when it's finished. We're very excited about the prospects."
Up to 500 construction workers at a time are going through 1.2 million square feet of the mall, stripping stores of drywall, hardwoods and carpeting to avoid the formation of mold.
"It's like when your house is flooded. It's the same situation," said Kittel.
Kittel said the water rose to its highest point, nine feet, near the IMAX theater and popular aquarium restaurant, where fish broke out of their tanks.
"I can tell you that there are many survivors from the Rainforest [café] and aquarium," said Kittel. "They are being taken care of by marine biologists and things seem to be going well for them there."
Kittel said she looks at the mall as being under construction rather than deconstruction.
"It's going to be a brand new mall," said Kittel.
Officials have not yet announced when the mall will reopen.
"It's really too early to tell at this point," said Kittel. "We'll let everyone know as soon as we do."
E-mail: nferguson@newschannel5.com
