Maximilian Center in Bonn Stores still waiting for power after storm-related outage
Bonn · There is still no solution in sight for the Maximilian Center, which has been disconnected from the power grid. The businesses there are worried about their store interiors and inventory, including medicines and foodstuffs.
There were still no new developments at the Maximilian Center on Friday. As reported, the shopping center has been closed and disconnected from the power grid since the thunderstorm last weekend. It is not yet clear how water was able to get into the building’s technical and control systems on the basement level during the heavy rainfall. An investigation is being conducted. The Ten Brinke company, which is the investor for the building complex, did not want to comment on the incident. It is still unclear when the center will be able to reopen - causing growing concern amongst the tenants.
"Unfortunately, there is still no reliable information," said one business owner on Friday. A restaurateur says she is especially annoyed by the uncertainty: "If I had known that the building would be closed for so long, I might have taken a few days off for the first time in years.”
Instead, a dozen tenants and their employees have been on pins and needles for a week. The restaurateur said she was a little worried about she will find in the restaurant when she can get back in there again, "There's probably foods in the freezer that have defrosted. I assume that I will have to reorder both food and some appliances. That will take even more time," she said.
The pharmacy's refrigerated medicines are also likely to have spoiled by now, as one employee confirms. All this increasingly raises the question of liability: What does the owner's building insurance cover? Is it also liable for property damage, loss of earnings and possible rent reductions for the store owners? The next few weeks are likely to see some intense exchanges of correspondence.
Orig. text: Rüdiger Franz
Translation: ck
