Massive Sinkhole Swallows 2 Homes In Florida As Neighborhood Is Evacuated

A sinkhole swallowed up two homes in a Florida community Friday, forcing the evacuation of an additional 10 others. What began as a small depression turned into a gaping 50-foot deep hole two-thirds the length of a football field in mere hours.

The sinkhole engulfed the entirety of one house and most of another in Land O’Lakes, Florida. Officials said the sinkhole was still active and “by no means stable” Friday afternoon. Ten homes in the community were evacuated as a precaution.

It began with a phone call from a person who reported a “depression” beneath a boat in the backyard of a home. Within minutes, the depression had turned into a hole and swallowed the boat, according to ABC News.

“It’s an active sinkhole,” Paso County battalion chief told reporters. “So we don’t know how big it’s going to get yet. We’re just evacuating other homes and making sure everybody is safe. We’re getting a plan together right now to find out how many homes we need to evacuate.”

Sinkholes are a frighteningly common occurrence in Florida thanks to the composition of bedrock there: the Sunshine State has more sinkholes than any other place in the nation, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Much of the ground in the state is made from carbonate rock laid over with sand and clay. Carbonate rock stores groundwater, which in turn often slowly dissolves the rock, causing depressions and sinkholes throughout the state.

And nowhere in the state is immune.

“Since the entire state is underlain by carbonate rocks, sinkholes could theoretically form anywhere,” said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Sinkholes can, however, be stabilized by injecting concrete into the ground. County property records revealed that the house in Land O’Lakes entirely swallowed by the sinkhole Friday had already been the victim of a sinkhole but that the hole was stabilized in 2012.

Geological inspectors were on their way to the site to determine how many homes would need to be evacuated. In the meantime, the local energy provider cut power to about 100 other homes in the area as a safety precaution. Emergency workers were aiding in the evacuations and no injuries had been reported as stemming from the sinkhole.

“It was frightening,” Pasco County assistant county administrator for public safety Kevin Guthrie told reporters. “The people coming out of those houses were frightened. Mother nature is going to take what mother nature takes.”