A Deluge of Problems : Inundated by Problems : Sherman Oaks: Although the water from a pipe burst on Ventura Boulevard has receded, many difficulties remain for merchants.

Raffi Batmanian has a pile of muddy shoes.

Dee Cronnelly has an empty wallet.

The two are symptomatic of the problems that remain along Ventura Boulevard five days after a massive water main burst sent 400,000 gallons rushing down the street.

Although traffic along Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks is expected to return to normal late today, some merchants said Wednesday that it may take several weeks to recover from the economic damage caused by the ruptured water main.

Merchants along some of the blocks east of Kester Avenue have spent the last five days assessing damage in the wake of Friday’s rupture of a high-pressure pipe. Most shops escaped with relatively minor damage--a few wet carpets, mainly--and were quickly repaired over the weekend.

Others were not so lucky.

As Batmanian’s Shoe Fiesta flooded, shoe boxes stored on the floor began floating out the back door. Working alone, he grabbed what he could. On Wednesday, stacks of expensive leather shoes, soaked and twisted by the muddy water, lay in a pile in Batmanian’s back room.

Batmanian had moved his store in the La Reina mall late last year from upstairs to ground level to boost business.

Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Debra Sass said a dozen or so merchants and local residents have filed claims for damage caused by the flood. If the DWP accepts responsibility for the burst pipe--a decision that will be made after the cause of the rupture is determined in the next few weeks--it could take between six months and a year for the claims to be settled.

“The city promised to help me,” Batmanian said. “They gave me claim forms. I’m hoping they will come through.”

No estimate was available for damage to shops and nearby apartment buildings.

Sass said it has cost the DWP $113,000 to repair the cratered roadway and pump water out of underground garages. That cost does not include repairs to the pipe and other subterranean lines.

As crews hustled to put the finishing touches on street repairs outside, Mel’s Drive-In, a few yards from the site of the rupture, was nearly empty Wednesday. As lunchtime began, fewer than a third of the booths were full and there was enough space along the counter for waitresses to lean and talk.

Not much else to do.

The two entrances to the diner’s parking lot have either been blocked or hard to get to because of road repairs. The sidewalk out front is a jumble of uneven concrete. In frustration, general manager Gordon Myers placed a sign on the street announcing that the diner was open.

Even so, Myers said, the ‘50s-style restaurant closed several hours early Monday and Tuesday because it was empty. “Nobody’s coming,” he said. “This place should be full now.”

Empty booths mean an empty wallet for waitress Dee Cronnelly. On a good morning, she can take home between $50 and $70 in tips, but on Monday she left the diner with $8 in her pocket. Living paycheck to paycheck as she does, Cronnelly said this kind of shortfall could be devastating.

“This is not something we need to have happen in the middle of a recession,” Cronnelly said glumly. “It’s scary.”

By the end of the lunch hour Wednesday, about a third of the booths remained empty. Business was picking up, but was still off.

“It’s going to take these guys getting out of the area for things to get better again,” Myers said, nodding toward street crews outside.

Not much longer, city officials promised Wednesday.

Curtis Bianchi, a Bureau of Street Maintenance supervisor, said all but one traffic lane should be open most of today as crews finish digging a new manhole to replace one destroyed by Friday’s rupture. All four traffic lanes should be open by late afternoon.

Bianchi said the road surface may be rough for the next few weeks until crews can finish curbs and sidewalks. When those are completed, Bianchi said, a final layer of asphalt will be put on the street.