They thought it had stopped. But now it turns out that the residents of Daisetta, Texas, were wrong.
The sinkhole, which had been in a kind of hibernation for 15 years, started growing again.
– That’ll be a pool for us. A story we tell our kids, Krystal Parrish told ABC News.
The fear that some of the homes and high school in the small town of about 1,000 people will be swallowed up again.
– Must follow
2008 was the year when the first sinkhole appeared. Although it grew to nearly 200 meters in diameter and more than 20 meters in depth, several vehicles and oil tanks disappeared.
However, nearby houses were saved at that time. As the sinkhole stabilized, so did the fear of losing their home among the people living near it.
Local authorities said they were monitoring the situation closely after movement on the ground was discovered in early April.
– I think it’s too early to panic. But residents have to adapt to the situation, geologist Richard Howe told ABC News.
– I’m pretty scared
So far, those comforting words had done little for Parrish. He claims that there is little information about what actually happened to the sinkhole.
– I’m not going to lie, I was pretty scared because this is the second time in my life that this has happened. My house is only 400 meters away, he said.
According to the geologist Howe, it was never known what caused the sinkhole to appear at Daisetta. Large salt deposits in the ground have been launched as a possible explanation, but due to poor finances in the municipality, no thorough investigation has been able to provide a definitive conclusion.
– Things can happen tomorrow
After the hole appeared in 2008, Liberty County was asked to set up a monitoring system for the area. City Officer Joan Caruthers isn’t sure if such a system was ever installed in the sewer.
The hole was monitored in subsequent years, but never concretely monitored over time. For now, steel poles have been installed 15 meters apart to detect any changes and movements, which will serve as a sort of warning system.
– The situation may change in 15 or 100 years. Or things could happen tomorrow. It’s impossible to predict, said Howe, who added that there was nothing to be done if the sinkhole continued to grow.
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