LESSONS LEARNED
Years after this disaster occurred,
many people blamed those who were members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting
Club for this terrible tragedy for happening. The members of the club were to
blame because even though they had great intentions for this club, they did not
take the responsibility of maintaining the dam and making sure it was safe and
indestructible. They had been warned by engineers that the dam was not safe,
however, they did not want to take the time and money to make the repairs
needed. Even though there was evidence that the members were to blame for the
flood occurring, they were unfortunately never legally accountable because the
courts viewed the failure of the dam as an Act of God. Many members of the
club, however, did financially contribute to the rebuilding efforts (South Fork
Fishing and Hunting Club).