Sinkholes
S


Blackbox

Louisiana 22-acre sinkhole forces hard choice on longtime neighbors

Littice Bacon-Blood
Associated Press via Yahoo News
Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:51 UTC
Image
Texas Brine spokesman Sonny Cranch said 92 buyout offers have been made, with 44 accepted so far.
The sob is deep and exhaled on a frustrated sigh. "I cannot stand this!" The words burst from Annette Richie and ping off the bare walls of the empty living room as her neighbors of 20 years, Bucky and Joanie Mistretta, recall happier times along Bayou Corne.

"I know, I know," Joanie Mistretta said, soothing her. "You come back now and it's just sad."

They were supposed to be planning camping trips, cookouts and potlucks. Instead, the Mistrettas, the Richies and many neighbors in the swampy Assumption Parish community are packing up decades' worth of belongings, chased from waterfront homes that were supposed to be retirement nests by a gas-emitting, 22-acre sinkhole less than a mile away.

The sinkhole, discovered Aug. 3, resulted from a collapsed underground salt dome cavern about 40 miles south of Baton Rouge. After oil and natural gas came oozing up and acres of the swampland liquefied into muck, the community's 350 residents were advised to evacuate.

Additional images
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Ohio sinkhole swallows car; driver climbs ladder


The Independent
Wed, 03 Jul 2013 18:19 UTC
Ohio Sinkhole
© Associated Press/Lt. Matthew HertzfeldThis photo provided by the Toledo, Ohio Fire and Rescue Department shows a car at the bottom of a sink hole caused by a broken water line in Toledo, Ohio Wednesday, July 3, 2013. Police say the driver, 60-year-old Pamela Knox of Toledo, was shaken up and didn't appear hurt but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
A northwest Ohio sinkhole has swallowed a car traveling down a street and briefly trapped the driver, who climbed out after authorities gave her a ladder.

Toledo police Sgt. Joe Heffernan says a water main break beneath the road may have caused the sinkhole Wednesday. The hole is estimated to be at least 10 feet deep.

Police say driver Pamela Knox didn't appear hurt but was shaken up and was taken to a hospital as a precaution. Heffernan says Knox saw the vehicle in front of her start to slip into the hole but drive beyond it. He says Knox couldn't avoid it.

Officials used a crane to pull the car from the hole. Repairs to the road are expected to take days.

Source: The Associated Press
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Sinkhole raises concern in West Hempfield, Pennsylvania

Ryan Robinson
Lancaster Online
Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:43 UTC
Image
© lancasteronline.com
A large sinkhole opened up near Route 23 in West Hempfield Township on Tuesday - and it might be fixed very soon.

The sinkhole is 20 to 25 feet deep and ranges from 8 to 10 feet wide at the surface to 30 to 40 feet wide underground, township police Sgt. Russell Geier said.

The hole is in a retention-pond area about 50 feet north of Route 23, near Corporate Boulevard.

Dale Getz has worked as the township's director of public works for five years, and in municipal government for about 20 years.

The sinkhole is the largest of the five or six he has seen during that time, but curious residents should keep their distance, he said.

"It wouldn't be advisable to get near it, because there's no stable ground underneath," he said.
Read More...
Stop

Flood leaves 70 sinkholes in Calgary

Sherri Zickefoose
The Calgary Herald
Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:19 UTC
City road crews are working around the clock backfilling massive sinkholes left in the flood's wake. Torrential flooding that swallowed the city core is to blame for causing 70 crater-sized holes in roads and pathways, but just as quickly as crews can fill them, they're cropping up.

"Over the next few months we'll probably see recurring sinkholes in the downtown and Beltline area," said Bruce Burrell, director of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.
Image
© Jeff McIntosh/ The Canadian PressA road crew foreman surveys the washed-out lanes of northbound Macleod Trail on Monday.

On Tuesday, crews repaired a large sinkhole on the 5th Avenue flyover that was caused by groundwater.

Eroding pathways and roads near the river are posing another potentially deadly hazard for those who may venture too close, Mayor Naheed Nenshi warned.

"We'll fix them when we find them, given the ground conditions there will be more," he said.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Edmonton sinkholes are 'pretty nuts'


Huffington Post CA
Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:07 UTC
Image
While Edmonton escaped the worst of the flooding in Alberta, the city has been been hit with an outbreak of scary sinkholes.

Heavy rain and floods earlier this week caused the sinkholes, which popped up all over the city.

Calgary has also sprouted as many as 70 sinkholes, according to the Calgary Herald.

Check out some of the craziest sinkhole photos in the gallery.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Large sink hole strands motorist in New Hampshire neighborhood

Mark Hayward
New Hampshire Union Leader
Thu, 27 Jun 2013 18:20 UTC
Sinkhole
© David Lane/Union LeaderA sinkhole opened at the intersection of Morning Glory and Stonington drives in Manchester Wednesday. A Water Works official said a ruptured water line may have washed away the sand and gravel supporting the roadway.
Manchester - The city cut off water to more than a dozen homes this morning, after a sink hole in an upscale south Manchester subdivision opened up and stranded an automobile in the early morning hours.

Manchester Water Works officials said they hope to restore water to homes along Stonington Drive and Morning Glory Drive by 5 p.m. But they cautioned they are unsure of the extent that Morning Glory Drive has been undermined.

Three other sink holes developed on a steep portion of the roadway, signaling the likelihood of further undermining of pavement.

"It's like an earthquake," said Nancy Washburn, who lives at the corner of Stonington and Morning Glory. The streets are part of the Rosecliff subdivision.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Epidemic of sink-holes plagues Buffalo, NY

Ron Plants
WGRZ.com
Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:37 UTC
Image
Sinhoke on Duerstein Street in Buffalo
We're hearing about more sinkholes developing on some streets in Buffalo and that could be much more of a problem for property owners. That is especially the case if the city determines it's caused by leaking or broken water pipes which undermine the street.

City Council Majority Leader Richard Fontana estimates the repairs could run up to three or four thousand dollars or more in repairs if the city makes the ruling that a property owner's pipes are leaking or broken. He says much of the problem is tied to the age of the pipes.

People on Duerstein Street off of Seneca Street in South Buffalo recently sent us pictures of a deep sinkhole which opened up this past weekend. The city feels the homeowner is responsible but in this case the city will make a repair according to City Spokesman Mike DeGeorge. It is in the middle of the street near the sewer line.

Comment: This excuse that all underground pipes in the U.S. suddenly became too old is growing a little 'old' itself. In fact an incredible number of sink-holes have been appearing world-wide. Take a look at these: Sinkholes - A Sign of the Times?

Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Sinkhole forces road closure in West View, Pennsylvania


WTAETV
Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00 UTC
A giant sink-hole forces West View road to shut down.

Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Canadian sinkhole forces highway closure


ctvnews.ca
Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:12 UTC

A huge sinkhole has closed both lanes of Highway 2 north of Prince Albert.Officials say a washout from heavy rains caused the road collapse.

The sinkhole is located about 52 kilometres north of the Waskesiu turnoff.Repairs are underway, but it wasn't known when the highway would reopen.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Sinkhole swallows front end of semi in Mission, Kansas

Michelle Pekarsky
fox4kc.com
Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:57 UTC
An apparent sinkhole swallowed up the front end of a semi tractor-trailer in Mission, Kan. Saturday afternoon.The pictures below were sent to FOX 4 by Jamie McCray. Others also watched as authorities tried to retrieve the truck from the lot. FOX 4 is working to gather more information on this developing story after the heavy rains.

Image
© Kyle Rowlands
Image
© Jamie McBray
Read More...