Sinkhole? Residents told to flee after walls began cracking

[Kurtis]

"Since mid-December, when a behemoth sinkhole swallowed up a section of Howland Boulevard in Deltona, devouring one home and tasting a second, the county has investigated a dozen reports from homeowners fearing similar house-eating craters."
Full Story (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/orl-locsinkhole18021805feb18,0,6391635.story?coll=sfla -news-florida)

Gee the walls are cracking, I wonder if maybe we live on another sink hole? I'll just stay in my house and see what happens... ;)

That has to suck, having your house devoured by the ground...

[J2T]

Yep, gotta love the sinkholes here. Luckily there haven't been any sinkholes remotely close to my house. *crosses fingers*

[Rich]

A small crack is one thing, but a lot of cracks in one afternoon, that has got to suck.

[PennyManDeux]

Heh... I didn't even know what a sinkhole was. I did some searching and found this website:

http://www.sinkhole.org

Has some good info. That is some crazy crap.

[PsychoSnowMan]

Did you see those pictures on that news site? They look like the air force had been carrying out practice with bunker busters on roads.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/photo/2004-12/15524993.jpg

[Kurtis]

yeah, that is insane...

[Thaw_Out]

We have the same problems in Pennsylvania. An entire street had to be evaculated because of sinkholes.

Also I think this apartment where I live is near a sinkhole, because there are a lot of weird underground problems.

I'm surprised that they can't better prevent these problems. Do better survey of the ground or something, before building.

[Rich]

Ground penetrating radar doesn't come cheap!

[J2T]

Well the problem happens when there is either a lot of rain or a draught situation. Here in Florida the water tables are pretty close and we have a sand based ground that can get changed easily by water. So with all the water we had dumped on us from last years hurricanes it was basically just a matter of time for one to pop up.

[Thaw_Out]

Okay, I understand how a lot of rain would cause a sinkhole.

But how the heck would a draught cause one?

Lack of water should actually help to solidfy the ground and make it harder, and impossible for a sink hole to form. Or I am just not understanding something....

[J2T]

When you have a draught and the water recedes it can leave behind large empty holes under the ground and make it unstable.

[Thaw_Out]

I thought the water was soaked in the dirt (with the dirt acting like a sponge). So if the water dried up, then the "sponge" would remain and be in the same position and of about the same size as before.

It shows how little I know about geography.

Anyways, you would think that how modern the human race is, that they would come up with a solution for it. Or if they can't come up with a solution, then atleast be able to better predict them, and better prepare for them. Perhaps have "water sensors" or "hole sensors" under roads and buildings to detect when they form.

[Rich]

I think the minimum is 100 houses to swallow up before a "Blue Ribbon" task force is created to deal with the surmounting problem of the deadly sink hole.

[Thaw_Out]

The problem with being inside of a super-large country is that the "little people" don't matter as much.

The bear-u-crats theory is that "So what if only 100 houses got sunk out of 5 billion houses in the entire country."

[Brian]

This country definitely has its own problems but I would rather be here than anywhere else.

Summer homes don't count ;-)

[Dyrewolph]

In a drought the water basins under the earth can start to dry up... this would leave 'holes' under the earth...

[Rich]

That is what insurance is for, of course you can kiss your rates goodby, but at least you will get a fat settlement check.....you did get GOOD insurance didn't you........

[Thaw_Out]

I feel sorry for the people in California, who had earthquake insurance, fire insurance, and huricane insurance, but forgot to buy sinkhole insurance....

[Rich]

At some point is is just cheaper to move somewhere else..

[J2T]

There isn't "sinkhole" insurance. Its considered an "act of god" and is covered under your home owners insurance. The only extra insurance you would have to purchase is flood insurance, everything else is covered under your policy. Of course we get screwed with hurricanes because you have a separate deductible for hurricanes. :-?

[Thaw_Out]

Yeah, but can't everything on the planet literally be called an act of god?

[J2T]

Well, we are talking about things that can damage a home as far as insurance goes.

[Dyrewolph]

Thaw_Out, go and watch the movie "The Man Who Sued God" with Billy Connolly... :-D

[Thaw_Out]

I want to sue God :)

I want a place in heaven, and a bunch of angels to do my laundry, clean my room, and give me massages. And um, while I'm at it, I may as well ask for a million bucks too.

The only problem with sueing God is, if you lose your case, then you end up in hell.....