Legal question re: potential lawsuit

[deacs1995]

lawyers are the worst

 

[PhysDeac]

It was impossible to predict how much rain would fall into the Middle Saluda River basin and Lake Murray that weekend. The lake was at about 356ft, and they initiated a drawdown through the hydroelectric turbines the day before. The graph below contains all of the information you need to know. Did anyone actually think 20"+ of rain would fall in the area? I sure didn't.

 

[19deac92]

 

[forensicdeac]

It was impossible to predict how much rain would fall into the Middle Saluda River basin and Lake Murray that weekend. The lake was at about 356ft, and they initiated a drawdown through the hydroelectric turbines the day before. The graph below contains all of the information you need to know. Did anyone actually think 20"+ of rain would fall in the area? I sure didn't.

That is interesting. While the rain was of historic proportions, on Thursday the National Weather Service was predicting a three day weather event with rains upwards of 16 inches. Also, state agencies were given warning days ahead so I find it hard to believe that an organization that depends on exact lake levels had no idea. Clearly such high levels required lowering the lake. I guess it was a matter of timing.

The most troublesome part to me is that there were no clear evacuation notices given, other than a voluntary evacuation for 0.25 miles from the river (less distance than the effected areas). Someone, somewhere dropped the ball. At no time should over 80 people have to be rescued by boat/deep water rescue in one neighborhood because of flood gates opening after the majority of the rain had fallen.

 

[smallbigtall]

"Media accounts last week up to Sunday indicated that the lake level was at about 358 feet before the rains began. The same media sources indicate that SCE&G waited until the lake level reached the LEGAL LIMIT for retention of 360 feet on Sunday morning before SCE&G opened the floodgates for the first time since 1969. When SCE&G talks about this, they refer to a "goal" of keeping the lake level under 360 feet. This is no "goal". This is actually the legal limit allowed under their license with the Federal Government. They also like to reference lake levels which are measured in inches and feet. THis makes small changes seem normal or controllable. What Pine Glen residents need to know is that the difference between 358 feet and 360 feet is not just two feet of water. IT IS FOUR BILLION GALLONS OF WATER and this is why you have lost everything that you own.

As many of you do know, the worst of the flooding last weekend occurred in the hours just after the gates were opened at 11AM on Sunday morning. SCE&G had known for a week what was coming and did NOTHING to protect Pine Glen. They destroyed our homes and our neighborhood with the FULL KNOWLEDGE of what they were doing. The decision will eventually have to be made as to whether SCE&G is held accountable for what they did to Pine Glen or not. To let them continue getting away with their media spin on this atrocity is up to the residents of Pine Glen. Write letters to the state paper, the insurance commissioner, your county commissioner and anyone who will listen. This was NOT and act of God. It was an act of SCE&G. For those interested in the excruciatingly familiar details of the 1965 case read on by clicking here."

Add a few typos in there and this could have been our dearest friend RJ

RIP

 

[BaseballBoomhauer]

lol at "greater good." That's a company (a) protecting its own very valuable assets, and (b) taking the route of less expensive liability lawsuit