Massive sewage spill inside the offices of the Eno River Association (Durham: 2015, insurance)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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A Call To Action and Request for Community Support
On January 14, a city sewer main serving much of north Durham failed, flooding and causing major damage to the offices of the Eno River Association and Festival for the Eno. Cleanup, partial demolition, and reconstruction of our headquarters will take months and cost as much as $100,000. Only 10%-25% of costs will be covered by insurance; we must raise the rest. Please support our efforts to rebuild, move forward, and pursue our conservation mission with a stronger commitment than ever before.
The N&O reports that insurance will cover just 10-15% of the damage. Why? Did the association not have the right level of insurance, or are sewage backups something that isn't well covered by insurance generally?
Sewer backup coverage almost always requires an additional premium for the rider.
Don't know the circumstances of the backup, but they may want to explore whether there is any liability with the city for possible improper maintenance leading to the backup.
Sewer backup floods Eno group’s office
Jan. 15, 2015 @ 06:08 PM
Ray Gronberg
DURHAM —
A sewage backup from city-owned pipes flooded the Guess Road offices of the Eno River Association over the weekend, causing damage that preliminary estimates suggest will cost up to $100,000 to put right.
The group’s staff discovered the backup Monday morning.
“It was really, really bad, just gushing out of the toilets, running in waves of water through the building,” said Robin Jacobs, the association’s executive director.
The flood forced the environmental group to relocate to temporary quarters at the Epting & Hackney law firm in Chapel Hill. Cleanup workers, meanwhile, have started ripping out ruined flooring.
Jacobs -- a lawyer who also practices at Epting & Hackney -- said the association “lost a lot of stuff that can’t really be replaced,” primarily archival material that in some cases dates to the 1960s.
The group plans a fundraiser to help pay for the repairs, and is seeking donations. Jacobs said the city by policy will pay no more than $15,000 in compensation for a damage claim.
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At least if they're going to grovel for $90k, they should at least explain exactly why the ball was dropped on getting a sewage backup rider on the policy for a few extra bucks per month, and how they promise nothing that moronic will ever happen again. Talk about swimming in poo.
A sewer backup rider is usually a very small percentage of the total policy.
I'm not clear that The Eno River Association dropped the ball anywhere at all. They had a disaster that was absolutely no fault of their own and victim-blaming is not really helping at all. It sounds to me like they had insurance, but it will only pay a certain amount and the city will only pay a certain amount. I've not read anything (except pure speculation here) about them having inadequate levels of insurance. I think it's a horrible thing to happen and y'know sh*t happens and sometimes we just gotta pull on our rubber boots and wade in and deal with it. I think they could use some monetary help if you feel moved to contribute, but otherwise I'd rather steer clear of the victim blaming on this one.
I'm not clear that The Eno River Association dropped the ball anywhere at all. They had a disaster that was absolutely no fault of their own and victim-blaming is not really helping at all.
I think it's fair to expect that organizations which solicit funds from the public be able to demonstrate that they are good stewards of the resources provided to them, that they are well-managed, and that they have appropriate plans and protections in place for the risks they face. Otherwise, it could be a lot of money unnecessarily, ahem, flushed down the toilet.
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