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OT: Massive Sinkhole About 50 Miles West of Me
By JLP | May 8, 2008
Check this out:
That picture was on the front page of today’s Houston Chronicle. From the article:
The sinkhole, which appeared near the center of Daisetta on Wednesday morning and grew to four football fields in diameter and 200 feet deep by nightfall, did not grow severely during the night and no evacuations have yet been ordered, a Liberty County sheriff’s official said today.
There’s also video footage on the page of the article as well as a gallery of larger pictures if you’re interested.
Question:
What happens if you are the owner of the property? I guess you’re screwed.
It’s amazing to me that things like this can happen. What was holding the ground up all that time? What would cause it to just start cratering like that?
Topics: Miscellaneous |
May 8th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Normally the area is above an underground water source. The water drains out because wells have pumped all the water out, and drought prevents refilling. Then you are sitting on top of an empty cave that used to be full. And it is fine for a while, then the cave starts to crumble, and it comes crashing down.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
If you own a home on top of a sinkhole and it breaks in two pieces, you still own both pieces.
Yeah, sinkholes are one of those things excluded from coverage by ‘all risks’ policies. You live on top of one, you’re boned.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Jeremy is correct - one more reason to emphasize water conservation in arid places like Texas.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Really? This would be excluded from a house insurance policy?
May 8th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
OMG! Saw this on the national news! It isn’t an ” act of God”?
May 8th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
BTW, after looking at the pictures, it looks like a business (oil company?) was right at the source. Another option for damaged homeowners: sue the company for causing the sinkhole.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
When I saw the sinkhole on the news yesterday, I was wondering what would cause that. Jeremy’s hypothesis about underground water depletion makes sense, assuming that there are limestone caves or something similar in the area. Another possibility is an underground salt dome that is dissolving due to water pumping or infiltration or something along those lines. There are salt domes in that part of the country, IIRC. Another thought was subsidence due to oil pumping in the area.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
@Jay:
I believe this is considered earth movement which is excluded. If you are real scared of sinkholes there may be an endorsement to add it back.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
There are also numerous “natural” causes: shifts in underground water-flow, droughts - or floods - nearby, etc.
The earth can and does move under your feet…
Floods can cause sinkholes by changing the topology of underground water areas; in CA at least, we typically hear about sinkholes late in the rainy season when there’s been a lot of rain.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Ernesto@InsuranceYak.com Says: “Yeah, sinkholes are one of those things excluded from coverage by ‘all risks’ policies. You live on top of one, you’re boned.”
Here in PA where I live we can get sinkhole riders for our policies - I most definitely have that since sinkholes have opened up around here. Nothing as big as the subject one, though. I guess everything really is bigger in Texas.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Jay says: ‘Act of God’ ;
Jay, I’ve never seen the wording ‘Act of God’ in an insurance policy, it’s not considered a working insurance term. Sinkholes are lumped in with earth movement (earthquakes, mudslides, ground settling) and are generally excluded from property coverage.
Phil, I’d like to see that endorsement for sinkholes. Certain counties in Ohio can offer a state coverage for mine subsistance (same effect, different cause). Farmers insurance in Ohio used to offer an earthquake endorsement, didn’t sell many of those.
If TX or FL were smart, they’d create program to cover sinkholes and make everyone chip in $10 a year for coverage up to say $100K. Would be better than nothing.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
An excellent example of why your home should never be a large part of your portfolio. Stuff happens and a $500,000 home as part of a one million dollar portfolio is no safer than $500,000 in company stock as part of a one million dollar portfolio. If this hole was under your home, how would it affect your retirement???? I do not include my home when calculating my net worth.