A sinkhole opened up in the backyard of a home in Winter Park Monday night, swallowing half of the swimming pool and forcing the family to evacuate.
The home is located in the 2300 block of Roxbury Road, not far from Killarney Elementary School, near the I-4 and Fairbanks Avenue intersection.
Orange County Fire Rescue said the sinkhole, which is about 30 feet deep and 40 to 50 feet wide, swallowed half a swimming pool and all the water that was inside this pool drained out.
Homeowner Suzanne Blumenauer says she was told by county inspectors to evacuate because the house was not safe to live in.
They said it’s also threatening the home next door.
Other neighbors were put on standby and are worried.
“It definitely concerns me, but there is not much I can do until someone knocks on my door and lets me know 'hey, it might not be safe. You might want to evacuate.' I hope it doesn’t come, but you never know. I’ve got my fingers crossed,” said neighbor James Russo.
Neighbors said there was drilling and construction work in the area.
Orange County officials said construction work nearby was not to blame for the sinkhole, but they did not determine what was.
They said the homeowner must determine that with a geological expert and her insurance company.
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Sinkhole signs and causes
Sinkholes are depressions or a collapse of the land surface as the limestone below cracks and develops fractures. Acidic waters seeping through the soil lead to the breakdown over long periods of time.
While these types of events often occur after a high accumulation of rainfall in a brief period of time, they can also take place in extremely dry conditions, as the water table below the surface drops or dries out.
There are several signs you can watch for that may lead to the formation of a sinkhole:
- Fresh exposure on fence posts, foundations and trees that result when the ground sinks
- Slumping, sagging or slanting fence posts, trees or other objects
- Doors and windows that fail to close properly
- Ponding: Small ponds of rainfall forming where water has not collected before
- Wilting of small, circular areas of vegetation, because the moisture that normally supports vegetation in the area is draining into a developing sinkhole below the surface
- Turbidity in water in nearby wells
- Structural cracks in walls, floors and pavement
- Cracks in the ground surface.
Top 10 sinkhole prone counties
In an alarming report from March 2011, all 10 of Florida's most sinkhole prone counties are either in Central Florida or the Tampa Bay area.
- Pasco
- Hernando
- Hillsborough
- Marion
- Pinellas
- Citrus
- Polk
- Orange
- Seminole
- Lake
Source: RiskMeter Online