TAMPA, Fla. (WTSP) – The sinkhole that swallowed a Toyota Camry is continuing to grow, officials tell 10 Connects.

At last measurement it was 22 feet by 24 feet and 17 feet to the dirt on the bottom. The depth does not take into account where the Camry is, in fact, no one is quite sure how deep the car is.

The rear end of the car was completely covered by dirt by late last night.

Hillsborough County Code Enforcement officials tell 10 Connects the sinkhole does not appear to be directly impacting the structure of the Bordeaux Village condos on N. 50th Street, however it has grown to the staircase of the building.

Code enforcement was back out at the complex on Monday, assessing damage to the building.

Several families were evacuated from the row of condos after it was deemed unsafe.

Robin Caton, with Hillsborough Code Enforcement, says they will not allow anyone to move back in until an engineer determines the sinkhole has been stabilized and the building is safe.

The Red Cross has been assisting the families who were forced out by finding them hotel rooms for the next few days.

Caton says engineers hired by the property managers will determine how to fix the sinkhole and whether it makes sense to remove the car.

Vibrations in the ground could make the situation worse, sinkhole exerts say.

Caton says they have spoken to people who live in the neighborhoods near the complex, alerting them to the sinkhole and what they need to look out for in case a sinkhole develops on their property.

Calls to the Bordeaux Village management were not returned as of Monday afternoon.

via Giant Sinkhole Swallows Car | WUSA9.com | Washington, DC |.

The now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily's Carl Franzen warns the sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole's potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor's Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city's 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country's disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor's Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, a sinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

How We Can Fix It Politics Daily's Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole 'Facts'

You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet's Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik's Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I'd pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can't do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

via 5 Amazing Facts About the Guatemala City Sinkhole | The Atlantic Wire.

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Gobierno de Guatemala/FlickrThe now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

• Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen warnsthe sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole’s potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

• Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

• Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor’s Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city’s 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country’s disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

• This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor’s Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, asinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

• How We Can Fix It Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole ‘Facts’

• You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

• Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet’s Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

• The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I’d pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can’t do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

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Crazy pictures available here.

The death toll in Guatemala due to landslides caused by tropical storm “Agatha” has risen to 93, according to an official count. Forty-nine victims were buried by a landslide in the department of Chimaltenango, about 40 miles west of the capital city. It is feared that more people will be found dead in remote villages that cling to sides of mountains and in precarious barrancos.

The storm swept into Central America and southern Mexico over the May 29-30 weekend, affecting Guatemala most severely but also neighboring El Salvador and Honduras. All told, at least 113 people are dead in the Central American isthmus and at least 50 people are reported missing in Guatemala alone. In one case, a Guatemalan family lost all four of their children to a mudslide triggered by the storm. Nine people were confirmed killed in El Salvador and 12 in Honduras.

However, according to an unofficial count the dead were at least 200. The tropical storm immediately followed an eruption of a volcano named Pacaya near Guatemala City, which spewed hot rocks and sand while lava flows sent families fleeing for their lives. Villages on the edge of the volcano have evacuated as residents are still pouring into make-shift shelters and centers set up by the national government. Residents fear that their few possessions will be pilfered by robbers emboldened by the chaos.

From Caritas Guatemala, a Catholic charitable organization, is providing aid to families stricken by the dual disaster. President Alvaro Colom of Guatemala has said that the government’s emergency response is designed to provide aid to survivors of landslides and mudslides, as well as to thousands homeless. The President reported that the government’s action proceeds by assigning priority to the communities most in need.

The latest report on damages and casualties announced that 74,777 people have fled their homes, 17,101 have found accommodation at 123 hostels, 2,912 homes are damaged, and there are very serious damages reported in 842 cases. President Colom announced that most of the country’s roads are damaged or blocked, keeping aid from reaching communities, although the Civil Aeronautics authorized flights of helicopters and airplanes that do not use turbines. The international airport at Guatemala City was closed as of May 31.

In downtown Guatemala City and Chimaltenango, the intense rains and poor drainage system have caused immense sink holes to appear. In one case in Guatemala City, a three storey building was swallowed up completely by the maw of a 180-foot deep sink hole, taking the life of at least one person. The sink hole is 90 feet wide. The bottom of the sink hole is not visible from its edge. A similar sinkhole appeared in 2007 in a nearby neighborhood and is also attributed to the city’s antiquated drainage system and the limestone geology of the area.

A team of Cuban doctors for several years offering their services to the rural population and the support of U.S. helicopters are some of the first aid received from the international community in the emergency, President Colom said. Caritas Guatemala has started collecting food items and funds to assist victims.

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SAINT-JUDE, Quebec – All four members of a family missing in a farmhouse swallowed up by a landslide northeast of Montreal were found dead, CBC reported Tuesday.

“They were found very close to one another, some of the lying on the couch in the family room in the basement, where we were told that they’d be,” said Michel C. Doré, Quebec’s associate deputy public security minister, who was on the scene.

The Saint-Jude home was swept away after the land beneath their home gave way on Monday night. Saint-Jude is a town of 1,000 residents north of St-Hyacinthe near the Yamaska River.

“It’s a pretty gigantic crater,” said Francois Gregoire, a Quebec fire department spokesman. “It’s hard imagining something like this. It’s pretty impressive.”

Gregoire said the house was quite far from the river before the land gave way but that part of it ended up in the water.

He said three cars in front of the house were swept away, as was part of a nearby road.

Sinkholes can occur when water undermines an area of land or when rock below the land surface shift.

Earlier, rescuers were able to get to the collapsed house, but could not locate the missing man and a woman in their 40s and their children, aged about 9 and 11.

Quebec provincial police spokesman Ronald McInnis said firefighters got into the house but had to retreat when it started moving again.

“Then other firefighters from St. Hyacinthe came, got into the house and the same thing happened, so they also got out,” he said.

Soil scientists later arrived on the scene to determine if the ground was stable enough for rescuers to re-enter the home, he said.

Mayor Yves Bellefeuille said the community is in shock, especially since the home is not in an area considered to be at risk.

Police said at least five other houses have been evacuated in the area, affecting about 20 people. Police have closed a stretch of a secondary road where the houses are located.

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A fishing trip turned to tragedy for two young men in Queens when they both suddenly got into trouble in the water.

Fox 5′s Rob Malcolm was on the scene (watch the video, left).

Police say the body of a male was found Sunday afternoon by search and rescue crews in Jamaica Bay.

Police have not released the identity of the male who was pulled from the water.

The Coast Guard, FDNY, and NYPD rescue crews had been on scene searching for a missing 19-year-old fisherman Sunday afternoon.

The Coast Guard received a call that two fishermen were in distress and possibly pulled into a sinkhole.

The Coast Guard says rescuers pulled one of the men out. He was taken to a nearby hospital.

The men were fishing near the North Channel Bridge. They were reportedly fishing in waist high water when one of them was pulled into the sink hole. The other attempted to help him, and was also pulled into the sink hole.

The rescued fisherman was taken to a local hospital. No word on his condition.

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Sinkhole opens up, traps person on Seattle waterfront

 

 

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A man was rescued Thursday morning by firefighters after he tumbled into a 10-foot-deep hole that opened up in the sidewalk along Seattle’s downtown waterfront, one of the city’s most popular promenades and tourist attractions.The 60-year-old man reported minor back pain and was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be examined, Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen said.

The sidewalk, atop the deteriorating sea wall that separates Alaskan Way from Elliott Bay, is at the southern end of a walkway strolled by thousands of people daily. City officials have long urged that the sea wall be fixed, and a new wall is planned as part of a $4.2 billion project to replace the Alaskan Way viaduct with a tunnel by 2015.

The hole, about 2 to 4 feet wide and 7 feet long, opened up without warning about 8 a.m. at a small park at the foot of South Washington Street in the city’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood. The park is just south of the Washington State Ferries terminal that links downtown Seattle with the west side of Puget Sound.

In the mid-19th century, the land beneath the sidewalk was mud flats and near a sawmill at the foot of Skid Road, the one-time path where logs were skidded downhill and that later became a generic term for down-and-out neighborhoods.

Vander Houwen said 26 firefighters worked to rescue the man, blocking heavily used Alaskan Way during the morning rush hour.

There was a hollow space beneath where the 4-inch-thick sidewalk gave way, she said. “He was trapped by some of his clothing and backpack.”

The man cut off a sleeve that was snagged in the hole as firefighters drilled bolts into nearby concrete, fastened ropes to the bolts and lowered pieces of wood and inflatable air bags to stabilize the soil.

Ladders were extended across the opening, and the man was placed into a harness and pulled to the surface after about an hour, Vander Houwen said.

The walkway will remain closed to pedestrians until it can be further examined, she said.

In late 2005, Mayor Greg Nickels said small marine creatures were boring through the sea wall so rapidly that city divers had to increase the frequency of inspections of the wood and steel structure to twice a year.

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2 men fished from Tampa sinkhole

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TAMPA, Fla. – Hillsborough County Fire Rescue says two men who fell into a sinkhole were taken to a Tampa hospital with minor injuries.

Firefighters pulled the men from the sinkhole Thursday night. It was the second sinkhole incident in the area in two weeks.

Last week, a Tampa-area home was nearly entirely swallowed by a sinkhole that was almost 15 feet deep. The sinkhole opened under the home of Jim and Joan Bates in Spring Hill on Wednesday afternoon and the garage and front of the ranch was devoured.

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Sinkholes Threaten Clarksville Homes

14-Foot Hole Threatens House’s Foundation

Reported by Alan Frio

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Some Middle Tennessee neighborhoods have been dealing with flooding issues after repeated storms this month.

 

Video: Massive Sinkholes Threaten Homes

 

One Clarksville neighborhood not only had high water, but massive sinkholes are threatening their homes. 

After heavy rains fell on Saturday morning, Rick Thomas of Monterey Place spotted a 14-foot deep hole on the side of his house that is threatening his home’s foundation

“It leaves you kind of numb,” said Thomas.

 

On the same day, Thomas found another sinkhole in the front of his home. He said this is something he has been dealing with for the last 22 years. 

Thomas is not the only one in the neighborhood with sinkhole problems, there are depressions in the ground everywhere in the area. Three other homeowners said they have sinkholes. 

Ivy Roberts’ property is right next door to Thomas, and she has the same problems. 

Roberts bought her home 10 months ago and said she was never told of the sinkhole problems in this neighborhood. 

“We took all the money we had and bought this home because we lost our other home in east Tennessee by fire. We got the money for the house, came here and bought this, and now this is gone,” said Roberts. 

Decades of runoff from heavy rains has undermined the ground. 

Resident Jerry Holt’s home flooded on Saturday. He said his back yard looked like a lake with water rushing into his house. 

“I bought shelving in the garage and everything is a foot and a half off the floor, because I know if the water comes in, I have 30 minutes to get everything up off the floor,” said Holt. 

Whenever heavy rains are predicted, most residents said they get little sleep worrying about flooding and sinkholes. 

“It’ll keep me up all night worrying what I’m going find here in the morning,” said Thomas.

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Another sinkhole appears in Calgary

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

For the second time in a week, a sinkhole has formed near a Calgary condominium worksite.

The Calgary Fire Department was recently called to a building in downtown Calgary to investigate reports of a sinkhole in the underground parkade of a condo near a construction site.

The problem was discovered when the front wheel of a pickup truck dropped into the sinkhole.

“When crews from Station #2 and heavy rescue specialists arrived, they observed a sizable hole in the floor of the parkade upon which a pick-up truck was parked,” said a City of Calgary press release.

The incident commander evacuated the building because the hole was adjacent to one of the building’s structural support members.

The heavy rescue team and firefighters removed the pick-up truck and examined the sinkhole.

It is four metres wide by three metres deep and there was a visible connection to the large construction site on the east side of the parkade.

Under the direction of engineers from Lake Placid Developments, the company building the Centuria on the Park condominium project nearby, the sinkhole was filled in using gravel material.

The city also directed the engineers to assess and report on the stability of the adjacent building.

Thirteen residents in eight suites were evacuated from the nearby building and were not allowed to return until the city got an engineering report determining the safety of the complex.

Engineers are also investigating whether the Centuria development project caused the sinkhole’s appearance.

“I am not prepared to make a comment until such time as we are fully appraised by our engineer,” said Steve Seal, executive VP of development with Lake Placid Developments.

“We have retained an engineer and we need to have this team move forward. We don’t have a specific time-line because we want to make sure the proper due diligence is carried out.”

A Calgary city alderman said crews are also looking closely at the safety of other excavation sites.

“There is work being done now to find out how long these other sites were open and some risk assessment is being done,” said Ric McIver.

“We know there are a lot more open excavations around, but we don’t know which will manifest in sinkholes.”

The city is monitoring nine abandoned sites in Calgary and three of these sites have already had work done.

“Once problems start popping up, the city must become more aware, especially when projects are pushed back for an uncertain amount of time,” he said.

“It makes the need for due diligence greater.

McIver said the sinkhole problem is starting to become a major public policy issue in the city.

“We probably need to review our policy on open excavations and make sure we are covered in terms of the amount of time it is open, the type of shoring that is used to maintain the integrity of the surrounding area,” he said. “The review will also include what type of due diligence and inspections can be done and who would pay for it.”

Centuria on the Park broke ground a year and a half ago and is still in the excavation phase.

The discovery of the sinkhole marks the third time a hole has been found near the construction site in the past 10 months.

The first sinkhole appeared last July.

The second was found last fall on 2nd Street, between 13th and 14th avenues. It was repaired by the city’s roads department.

So far, no connection has been determined between the holes and the adjacent construction site.

This is the second time in a week that a large sinkhole has developed next to the excavated construction site of a condo development in downtown Calgary.

A massive sinkhole, which was discovered on April 24, developed under a road adjacent the Gateway-Midtown condo project, owned by Pointe of View Developments.

Its cause has not yet been determined.