On Wednesday, I enjoyed (yes, actually) the northwest-side thunderstorm, the likes of which I had never seen in my life. I will never forget pushing water, literally creating a wake with my car. This was on Francis Street, not the Spokane River.

However, in our society, where no one is to ever lose anything, some of the residents who suffered flood damage are going to claim the city should reimburse them.

No!

If there was ever an “act of God,” this was it. I don’t know whether the sewers were plugged before the deluge or a system that should have handled the flood failed to do so. Either certainly lends some credibility to the claims, but the north-south streets were literal rivers converging on Francis and some of the lower-lying streets. There is no way that sewers designed for the Inland Northwest could have handled this. It is not the city’s fault.

Sorry for your loss, but “bad things happen to good people,” and the city is no more obligated to repair your house than it would be if a tornado had hit it.

John Tyson

Newport, Wash.