 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Big sinkhole may be forming in slow motion
By JAMIE JONES, Times Staff Writer WEEKI WACHEE -- Elizabeth Talley rose early Monday, stepped outside her white mobile home on Lake Drive and picked up a fishing pole. As she walked toward a pond across the street, she noticed several delicate lines cutting through the sand in her yard. The 55-year-old didn't think much about them as she planted her feet in a patch of grass and lowered her line beneath the lily pads. But several hours and one bluegill later, Talley walked back to her front yard and saw that the cracks had gotten bigger. Much bigger. A whole portion of the yard around a large oak tree had slumped down. Talley's husband, Ollie, 56, called authorities and reported that they might have a sinkhole. Within the hour, their small road north of Cortez Boulevard was crowded with emergency vehicles and flashing red lights, as well as several large trucks from Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative. As of late Monday, the hole had not collapsed. But emergency workers predicted that the ground could give at any time, possibly yielding the largest sinkhole that Hernando County has seen so far this season. "The cracks keep getting bigger," said Danny Roberts, interim director of the county's Emergency Management Department. "We think it's just a matter of time." Roberts said the cracks formed an irregular circle that was 57 feet wide north to south and 64 feet wide east to west. Roberts shut down part of Lake Drive in case the sinkhole opens and swallows the road. The cracks are between two ponds on each side of Lake Drive, and if the new hole opens, it probably would join the ponds, Roberts said. He believes those two ponds were formed by sinkholes years ago. The Talleys' home, and another next door, could possibly be harmed if the hole collapses, Roberts said. He asked the families to voluntarily evacuate and offered a place to stay, but they declined. Workers from Withlacoochee River Electric relocated one power pole in case the earth gives. "Why take a chance?" said Gordon Coburn, district manager. Emergency workers monitored the site for several hours and kept putting up skinny wooden poles and more yellow tape as they expanded the danger zone around the forming hole. The Talleys stood nearby, worrying about the land they bought in March 2001. The couple live in the mobile home with Mr. Talley's ex-wife and his 28-year-old son. "I just love having both my ponds," Mrs. Talley said. "I don't want to move." By late Monday, the ground had slumped a little further but had not yet collapsed. "We're just hanging on, hoping for the best," Mrs. Talley said. Roberts said the county has conducted more than 100 sinkhole investigations since June 15, and at least one officer spends about four hours a day responding to sinkhole calls. On many of the calls, they do not find actual sinkholes, Roberts said. Anyone with questions can call 754-4038. -- Jamie Jones covers law enforcement and courts in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6114. Send e-mail to jjones@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
