Coyote Creek Flood Victims Still Without Reparations 5 Years Later
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Five years after one of the worst floods in San Jose History, flood victims are still trying to put the ordeal behind them.
Flood victims filed suit against the Santa Clara Valley Water District, but they still don't know if their case will be settled or go to court.
"It's our position that flooding was made worse by inaction and policy choices on their part, every thing from mismanagement of Anderson Dam to debris and trash filling up the creeks," said Brendan Lavelle, one of the plaintiffs in the case.
On the day of the flooding the flooding, the water was chest high in the Rock Springs neighborhood and the fire department was rescuing victims by boat.
"There was people everywhere, people trying to get their cars out, people trying to get their stuff out of their homes," Lavelle said.
The main part of his house was left high and dry but his finished basement was a complete loss.
More than a hundred flood victims joined the suit.
Storms that year put the water in Anderson Dam over the top, and the spillway flows caused Coyote Creek to rise above its banks and flood several San Jose neighborhoods.
A recent court ruling denied the Water District's attempts to dismiss the case, and a trial has been set.
"Valley Water plans to continue engaging in good fat high settlement discussions as we prepare for trial in early May. Valley Water would like this process to end as quickly and fairly as possible for all parties," a water district spokesman said in a statement about the case.
The Water District also said it's completed new flood control measures on the creeks, and is rebuilding Anderson Dam to better regulate discharges during heavy rain events.
But 5 years down the line, victims like Geordie Smith just want to be compensated for the damage they suffered.
"We're talking about people who had to have their floors replaced, we're talking about people who lost their cars. But also, about people who lost irreplaceable heirlooms."
