Holey America
It is not those “right-wing Christian terrorists” handing out flowers and invitations to church. A lot of places in our country are failing in their fight with gravity. Starting from North to South:
Luz Bedoya left her home on West 10th Street in Huntington Station just after 6 a.m., while it was still dark outside, the Ring camera clip shows. Luz was going to work with her white winter coat on. The 70 year old walked across the lawn on the stepping stones that would take her to her car, but she never made it. Gravity and a sinkhole got her. She fell into a pit about 8 feet deep and about 10 feet across. Fortunately for her she fell purse and all almost straight down into knee length water and mud. She was scared and confused especially in the dark. But in a couple of minutes Luz had the presence of mind to start yelling and used the cell phone in her pocket to call 911. A neighbor lady came out of her house hearing the yelling and stepped into the same hole. At this point it is still pretty dark., but all the yelling woke the neighbors, and a third neighbor joined the subterranean group.
A neighbor, Benjamin Orengo, told the network he also contributed an extension cord to help the victims – one of whom was his wife – who were trapped in mud that reached above their knees. One responding police officer reached into the hole and pulled one of the victims to safety – while another officer put a neighbor’s ladder in the hole so the other two could climb out. No one was seriously hurt. The Town of Huntington Building Inspector was called to inspect the property and determine the cause of the hole, police said. Town officials suspect a water pipe leak, coupled with the heavy rain, might be the culprit, according to WNBC.
Long Island sinks
Upstate last Summer in Cheektowaga (a Buffalo suburb) Carrie Craven’s children were playing in their above ground pool when mother nature pulled the plug. All three of the children got out safely as the pool water just blubbered into the ground. The pool liner was a total loss, but Dad resolved to dig down to the bottom of the sinkhole; by hand to find the cause and refill the dirt.
Here is their story: Cheektowaga sinkhole under pool
Florida is the country’s leader is sink holes because the entire peninsula is sitting on top of a pile of very porous lime stone. While the state is mostly surrounded by ocean water, ground water from the surface fills up the spaces in the stone and allows vegetation to grow and houses to be built. When the supply of fresh ground water is missing the weight on top can cause the limestone underneath to collapse and you get a big hole where your house used to be.
The folks around Lakeland, FL had a sinkhole adventure this week when a giant spot about 75 across opened up and dropped 5 feet. Fortunately, that ground was unoccupied, but authorities are so concerned about the condition of the limestone underneath they have stopped cars from using the road on either side of the hole for fear the traffic vibrations would encourage a bigger hole to form.
75 foot wide sinkhole
Finally, here is another hole that has not harmed man or building yet, but sure could make a very scary proposition. In Highland City, Southeast of Lakeland, Sharon Stein took her dog out for a morning walk and noticed something was wrong in the neighborhood. The lawn down the street had a hole in it. “I went across the street with my dog and I was taking him over there,” Stein said. “And when I went down the street, I could see something was wrong over there and so I went and investigated.” She and the dog walked over to see what was going on and they saw a sink hole about 10 feet wide and very deep. Sharon alerted the woman in the house who did not know anything had moved. In fact, her husband had left about 7:30 for work and had no problem.
The massive sinkhole that began growing last week is approximately 70 feet deep and other residents are hoping they don’t have to evacuate. Paul Womble, with Polk County Emergency Management, said the hole is about 15 feet wide and 70 to 80 feet deep, but it’s still growing. He is the star of the news video below.
Watch the hole grow
Holie Humor
Two blondes fell down a hole. One said, “It’s dark in here isn’t it?”
The other replied, “I don’t know; I can’t see.”
What do you call a bakery that only sells bagels and donuts?
Hole foods.
Why did the electrician punch a hole in the wall?
He needed an outlet.
He was so narrow-minded he could see through a keyhole with both eyes.
January 26th Birthdays
1953 – Lucinda Williams, 1958 – Anita Baker, 1905 – Maria VanTrapp, 2009 – Suleman octuplets born
1967 – Vince Carter, 1961 – Wayne Gretzky, 1981 – Colin O’Donoghugh, 1925 – Paul Newman