Post by Graveyardbride on Jul 12, 2023 13:01:44 GMT -5
Sinkhole That Swallowed Man in 2013 Reopens
A sinkhole at 240 Faithway Drive in Seffner, Florida, that originally opened in March 2013 beneath the bedroom of Jeffrey Bush, has reopened for the second time. Bush was asleep when the catastrophe occurred and although his brother, Jeremy, attempted to save him, he was unable to do so. Following the tragedy, engineers determined the ground was so unstable that authorities demolished the Bush house, as well as two neighboring homes, and fenced off the immediate area around the hole.
Hillsborough County authorities are currently assessing the sinkhole, which Code Enforcement spokesman Jon-Paul Lavandeira estimates to be approximately 12 feet in diameter. “This is not uncommon what we’re seeing out here with reoccurrences [sic],” Lavandeira told reporters. “It’s actually the preferred way of doing it. The way we handled it the first time. The way we filled it. That way when there’s a reoccurrence [sic], it’s in a controlled area like you see behind me with the double fences so we can kind of control the situation.”
He explained that crews will fill the sinkhole with gravel and liquid to prevent any potential recurrence at that particular spot. “The depression isn’t going to find another place to try and meander,” he said. “It will stay right there, and it’s the easiest point of attack, so that’s really the best situation in this scenario. We can actually control when and if there is a reocurrence [sic].”
The last time the sinkhole reopened was eight years ago in 2015. “This is something that is out of all of our control,” Lavandeira continued. “This is a Mother Nature thing. This isn’t a man-made scenario, but we do have a plan in place. We have the right experts in place. This is under control. There is a reason why there are double fences where this thing is.”
Not everyone is convinced Lavandeira knows what he’s talking about, with some recalling that in 2010, in excess of 110 sinkholes formed a little more than three miles to the east in the Dover area of Hillsborough County, when ground water levels dropped to record-setting lows. The sinkholes developed during a freeze when farmers over-pumped ground water to protect their crops from killing low temperatures. The over-pumping caused the ground to collapse, destroying homes, roads and sections of cultivated areas, proving it isn’t always a “Mother Nature thing.”
Sources: Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, July 12, 2023, and The U.S. Geological Survey.
