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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A construction worker has died after being buried up to his shoulders in a sinkhole on Detroit’s east side this afternoon.

Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens Bell said the 36-year-old Detroit man, who was not identified, was working on a residential road reconstruction project when the road collapsed and debris, mud and a slab of concrete fell on him. The man was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Firefighters, police and crews from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department used a ladder and giant suction machine to pull the man from the sinkhole on Healy just south of 7 Mile shortly before 5:15 p.m., said Detroit Fire Battalion Chief Larry Gordon. The effort took more than an hour and a half.

“He was trapped in a muddy mire, almost like quicksand,” Gordon said.

After the man was pulled free, two shovels, an abandoned yellow ladder and the arm of an earth mover remained in the hole.

Sean Reams, 35, said he was one of several neighbors who rushed to the man’s aid. He said the man was conscious and talking, even asking for air.

“A neighbor knocked on the door and said a guy’s buried, so I did what came naturally and went to help,” Reams said, noting that the man’s shoulder was pinned by a concrete slab.

“Water was rushing in, turning into mud. It was already up to his shoulders,” he said.

Reams and the other neighbors who rushed to help before the firefighters arrived tried to use a wooden board to prevent a second concrete slab from shifting. At the time, the man’s head was only about 8 inches above the watery mixture.

The mood was somber on the quiet residential street, between Ryan and Mound roads, as neighbors gathered around the site.

Eupharzine Ruffin, 15, who lives nearby, said she is now worried about her father’s safety because he works in construction. “I was scared because he fell in the hole and concrete fell on top of him,” she said of the man.

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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.

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Sinkhole swallows Hernando home

Reported by: Keith Baker

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL — A large sinkhole swallowed up a Spring Hill home late Wednesday.  Local officials say it’s one of the biggest sinkholes they’ve seen.

Damage to the house and its contents at 2133 block of Orchard Park Drive is put at $250,000.

Joni Bates was able to get out of the one story concrete block structure safely with her puppies.  She says insurance should cover the damage.  “They just renewed it, believe it or not.  So, even though I had a sinkhole, I’m very, very fortunate and I thank God,” she said.

The local Red Cross chapter is helping Joni find temporary shelter and clothing.

Florida has more sinkholes than any other state.  They originate beneath the surface when groundwater moves through the limestone and erodes large cavities in the bedrock. When the water table drops, a sinkhole can form.

In this case, it was under Joni Bates’ house. 

“I’ve been here 22 years, part of my life is gone.  My boys grew up in this house”,  she said.

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Sinkhole still collapsing as merchants point fingers

PennDOT making effort to protect Route 65

Thursday, May 07, 2009

By Brian David, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The state Department of Transportation is taking steps to protect Route 65 from being devoured by an East Rochester sinkhole that already has claimed a restaurant and is encroaching on a Pizza Hut and GetGo station.

Lane restrictions were posted this week on Route 65 so that experts from Gannett Fleming Engineers could assess the stability of the road and determine the best way to shore it up.

“We are surveying the roadway to make sure it’s not moving,” PennDOT District 11 spokesman Jim Struzzi said.

The sinkhole, which started two years ago as a small hole in the parking lot of the Evergreen Restaurant, is now 40 feet across and 60 feet deep.

It forced the demolition of the Evergreen Restaurant in 2007 and is now encroaching the Pizza Hut parking lot.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Environmental Protection is ramping up the pressure to get the sinkhole repaired, along with the failed drain system that caused it. Late last month, it filed a petition asking the court to enforce a repair order issued to seven property owners a year ago.

Beyond giving emergency workers access to their properties, none of the property owners have taken substantive steps toward repair, though Giant Eagle, Inc., is doing work to divert its storm water.

DEP spokesperson Helen Humphries singled out Evergreen owners Argyrios and Stella Apostolis, saying they “have not yet taken appropriate action.”

But the Apostolises, who saw their undermined restaurant demolished in Jan. 2008, have sued several other property owners as well as East Rochester, saying that an improper tap into a drain on their property and the fact it was carrying the borough’s storm water were key in the failure, and that they were not responsible for maintaining it.

According to that lawsuit, the SuperAmerica gas station — the precursor to the GetGo — was having drainage problems in 1996, and got East Rochester’s permission to tap into a vertical pipe beneath the Evergreen’s parking lot.

The suit says the borough pressured the Apostolises into agreeing, with the understanding that the gas station would keep insurance on the line and do maintenance.

The suit says the pipe was not designed for constant flow of water, which contributed to its failure. It also says the lines carried runoff from much of East Rochester, and that the SuperAmerica and GetGo stations did not get insurance or maintain the line.

“I’m still paying the loan on that hole,” Mr. Apostolis said. “I want my money back, my property back.”

His is not the only lawsuit.

The Pizza Hut restaurant parking lot is slowly being consumed, and its owner, Tri-L Pizza Huts Inc., recently sued the Apostolises, claiming that since the sinkhole started on their property it is their responsibility.

Beaver County Emergency Management Director Wes Hill said the pipe corroded, letting dirt fall down into a 12-foot culvert. The culvert, designed to carry runoff water along with three natural waterways down to the Ohio River, began to back up.

Eventually the whole system collapsed. With water flowing into the hole, the erosion has continued.

Meanwhile, the water that is supposed to go through the culvert underneath Route 65 and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks is instead working its way through the earth beneath the highway, emerging on the downhill side and partially flooding the tracks.

Having even a small amount of water undercutting the roadway “is certainly a serious situation,” Mr. Struzzi said.

Mr. Struzzi previously said that the department would likely use gabian blankets — wire boxes filled with stone — to stop erosion beneath the roadway and stabilize its base, but said this week that the solution would depend on Gannett Fleming’s findings.