I've taken some geotechnical engineering classes and labs, and I've seen some very crazy and counter-intuitive things happen. Just cause it's dirt doesn't mean it's simple. Engineers don't exist to solve old problems, but to solve new ones- and new ones crop up in every discipline from civil to nano. I'd reserve judgement and blame until a more refined verdict is in...
-B On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 1:04 PM, Fritz Holt <[email protected]>wrote: > I smell law suits. > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Tim Stich [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Tuesday, January 26, 2010 4:19 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [Texascavers] Landslide in San Antonio > > > > From the comments page on the landslide news story: > > > "For the past 9 years I have lived a quarter mile away from where this > man-made disaster has occurred, and have watched it unfold with > predictability. I can't believe the developers claim to have "no information > on what caused the problem." You don't have to be an engineer to figure this > one out! These new homes were built on the top of a steep landfill hill, not > solid ground. > > An initial retaining wall failed earlier in the construction, and instead > of realizing or admitting that this was a disaster waiting to happen, the > developers put a band-aid on it and pressed ahead with this ill-fated > project. It was obvious at the time that a thin retaining wall of stone and > mortar was not going to hold back a mountain of landfill dirt. > > The responsibility for this mess lies squarely at the feet of the > developers and whatever idiots in the city are responsible for enforcing > safe building codes. Greed clearly trumped safety and good judgment on this > one. As bad as I feel for the homeowners in the immediate area, your best > bet will be to cut and run. Get a good lawyer and recoup your investment, > then leave and don't look back. The cheap dirt mountain on which your houses > was built will never be stable or safe. > > Rob" > -- Brian Riordan 979-218-8009 (Mobile) [email protected]
