Supermarkets across the Islands are fully operational today, but managers are still adding up the cost of lost food and structural damage from Sunday's earthquakes and blackout.

Stores across O'ahu couldn't maintain a safe temperature for perishable food during the blackout. On the Big Island, where power was restored faster, most of the damage to stores came from items that fell off shelves and ceiling tiles that shook free.

So far, however, stores have been unable to estimate the earthquake's grocery bill.

"Absolutely it will be in the thousands," said Toby Taniguchi, operations manager for KTA Super Stores, which has six outlets on the Big Island. All the stores, including one in Waimea and two in Kona, remained open after cleaning up Sunday. The Waikoloa store, however, suffered the most damage and wasn't able to reopen until Monday.

Emergency generators saved the day for the KTA stores, as did the fact that electricity was restored before food suffered damage. That meant no perishable food was tossed out, Taniguchi said.

"The only thing we needed to throw away were the glass items, the bottles of mayonnaise, wine and olive oil," he said. Ceiling tiles also fell, but no one was injured even though the stores were open and people were shopping when the quake struck shortly after 7 a.m., he said.

"No one got hurt and it was just a miracle," he said.

On O'ahu, shelves are being restocked as suppliers bring in food.

Roger Godfrey, president of Times Super Market, said most items were coming back, but bread, which couldn't be made because of the blackout Sunday, was in short supply.

"We disposed of any items that are even questionable due to perishability," Godfrey said. "We had the FDA inspecting to make sure we all agreed on what we should get rid of, so the integrity of the product is good."

Foodland and Sack 'n Save Foods stores should have all of their O'ahu shelves stocked by today, and the Neighbor Island shelves should be completely restocked tomorrow, said Sheryl Toda, Foodland spokeswoman.

Cold items that got warmer than 45 degrees were thrown out, and hot foods not sold immediately were also discarded, Toda said. Canned goods that fell off the shelves on the Big Island and were dented will be donated to a food bank, she said.

The stores managed to stay open into the evening, but lack of lighting made it too difficult to see even during the day, she said. Customers were escorted through the stores to purchase food.

Generators made it possible for all the stores contacted by The Advertiser to remain open on Sunday.

Jennifer Webber, spokeswoman for Safeway Stores, said even the Kailua, Kona, store was open a couple of hours after the earthquake hit.

"Even before that store was up, we tried to meet those customers at the door and address their needs for emergency items," Webber said.

Webber said refrigerator trucks were used to protect food at some stores, and other stores pulled meat from the shelves and placed them in freezers.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.