Victims Sue Over '06 San Anselmo Floods

Jan. 26 - KGO (KGO) -- In Marin County, nearly 300 people and businesses are suing a number of the small towns there and the county for hundreds of millions because of the damage from last year's floods.

When it rains, it pours. In Marin County, that applies to more than last year's disasterous floods, it also applies to a liability lawsuit.

Holly Hopper, Plaintiff: "I think we're suing to make it known that we're serious about getting this fixed."

Holly Hopper might see the irony in today's weather. It's been just more than a year since San Anselmo became a river, laying waste to the place.

Holly Hopper: "The water out here was six inches above that door knob."

In all, about 265 individuals and businesses are suing the towns of San Anselmo, Ross, Fairfax, the county of Marin and several agencies, for what amounts to half a billion dollars.

Linda Kelly, Fairfax Town Manager: "It could take years to get this settled."

Linda Kelly, town manager of Fairfax, which still hasn't found the cash to rebuild Town Hall. She spends her days in little more than a trailer, scaling mountains of flood-related paperwork.

All of the sued agencies express frustration.

Linda Kelly, Fairfax Town Manager: "Well we're all frustrated. We certainly sympathize with the homeowners and the businesses, but we are towns of small means."

The suit names Ross for not improving drainage beneath its bridges. It names the Tamalpais Unified School District for water flowing off the football field at Drake High School and into Jerry and Karen Evan's basement, where it ruined tens of thousands of dollars worth of eyeglasses they would have sold on the Internet.

Jerry Evans, Plaintiff: "I didn't have flood insurance. Does the town not have insurance?"

Karen Evans, Plaintiff: "We don't want to be the bad people here. We just want the town to care about their people."

And so, in Marin County, enter the lawyers.

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