Curiosity
calif. homes sinking 10 to 10 feet
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
In this photo taken Monday, May 6, 2013 Robin and Scott Spivey walk past the wreckage of their Tudor-style dream home they had to abandon when the ground gave way causing it to drop 10 feet below the street in Lakeport, Calif. Officials believe that water that has bubbled to the surface is playing a role, in the collapse of the hillside subdivision that has forced the evacuation of 10 homes and the notice of imminent evacuation of another 10 in this upscale subdivision.
Homes located in one neighborhood in Lakeport, California are sinking into the ground so quickly that residents of eight houses have already abandoned their homes and at least 10 more homeowners have been advised to evacuate. The homes sinking into the ground are located about 100 miles north of San Francisco and first began showing cracks in the walls this past spring. The subdivision of houses was built in the 1980s and the situation is deteriorating so quickly that mail delivery to homeowners in the area has been suspended as road cracks have appeared.
All of the endangered homes were constructed on a hilltop atop volcanic soil. Unlike sinkholes which can rapidly envelope a home within just a few hours, the homes sinking in Lakeport are collapsing at various rates. Officials report that there has been a sudden abundance of ground water discovered where there had previously been a shortage which may be contributing to the homes’ destruction. Even sewage manholes in the housing development, which is spread over some 10 acres, have collapsed. Although authorities are attempting to fix water and sewer pipes, this most recent development may mean that all 30 of the homes in the area will have to be abandoned by their owners.
On The Web:
Sinking Homes Cause Disaster In Lakeport, California
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/12/sinking-homes_n_3263362.html
