Noah’s Ark theme park sues over $1m flood damage
NOAH’S Ark may have survived an epic flood but the owners of a replica wooden ship in Kentucky appear to have been less fortunate.
Ark Encounter, a biblical theme park in Williamstown, was lashed by heavy rain in 2017 and 2018, causing damage worth an estimated $1million.
The 510ft vessel, straight out of the Old Testament, which was built on bedrock, seems to have emerged largely unscathed from the rainfall.
However, the torrential rain sparked a landslide that engulfed part of a road used by 2.2 million visitors a year. The company sought to carry out the necessary repairs but its insurers refused to pay more than a “very small portion” of the claim.
In response, the theme park’s owners are suing their insurers for breach of contract and acting with “oppression, fraud and malice”.
Stating its case in a writ, lawyers for Ark Encounter said: “Subsequent to heavy rains, a significant landslide occurred along portions of the slope, which eliminated the structural support for the roadway, caused significant damage to the road surface itself and the incorporated improvements, and rendered portions of the road unsafe and unfit for use.”
While admitting that the theme park’s loss was covered by the policy, the insurers denied liability, claiming the damage was due in part to design deficiencies and faulty workmanship.
The ark and road leading to the theme park have since been repaired.
The row over the insurance claim is the latest controversy surrounding the attraction, which opened in July 2016.
Critics of the project objected to tax breaks offered by Kentucky, alleging that it breached the constitutional separation of church and state. The insurers have not commented on the claim.