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One house on North 8th Street is cracking and tilting, and the resident is being urged to move out. Others could be affected, if nearby water lines rupture. Right now the Salvation Army Disaster Relief is there to provide cold drinks and snacks for the workers who have been on the job since early this morning. Martins Ferry Mayor Robert Krajnyak says it's a potential disaster.
"If it goes and pulls those mains with it, we lose 12-inch mains, the north end of town's going to be out of water from that point, all the way up, and it's got the possibility of washing some of these hillsides out and pulling some of these houses down with it, if that would all slip. We've got AEP in because of the tension that the poles have moved a little bit and put on power lines and stuff so it's a hazardous situation right now," said Mayor Krajnyak.
"We're providing food and different things for the people who are working here. Right now we have people from Belmont County, people from Martins Ferry there are here trying to fix this," said Belmont County Salvation Army Major Louis Patrick.
Mayor Krajnyak says the hole has been there for years, and when he took office, he intended that there would be no more excuses about needing money and that it would finally be repaired.
He says now this has forced the process to begin immediately and it's a huge project. He is asking for funding from state lawmakers.
Watch video coverage here.
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