A sinkhole in a small Texas city is expanding — stirring up fear among some residents that the community will get “swallowed up,” according to reports.
Officials in the city of Daisetta said in a statement Monday they quickly alerted residents living near the sinkhole that it has expanded.
“I was having a lot of trouble going to sleep last night because I didn’t know if we were going to get swallowed up,” nearby resident Jordana Priessler told KTRK. “My family told me it happened kind of fast before.”
Back in 2008, the hole went from 20 feet to a shocking 900 feet wide and 260 deep overnight, the television station reported. The natural event reportedly devoured oil tanks, barrels, tires, telephone poles and even cars that were in its path.
So far, the sinkhole has grown about 150 wide and 150 deep as officials try to determine if an evacuation plan might need to be put into place, Liberty County Assistant Fire Marshal Erskin Holcomb said, according to KTRK.
“Sinkholes are extremely unpredictable,” he said. “It can take a week to move one foot, or it can crumble 20 feet overnight.”
So far, an empty warehouse and two tankers sitting on vacant land have fallen into the sinkhole since it began growing again, the Vindicator reported.
Another resident who lives nearby said she never thought the sinkhole would grow again.
“When we bought our house a few years ago, we were under the understanding that it was stabilized,” Linda Hoover told KTRK, adding. “My worst fear is for it to overtake us at night. So that’s the reason we haven’t really been able to sleep. We have packed our bags just in case and parked our cars kind of funny. So we can get out of here in a hurry if we need to.”
“I have been praying for the town every day, every time I pass through here,” resident Sharon Guillory told KHOU. “We know that God is able to do anything so that’s what I’m praying.”
While the sinkhole is 80 feet near a state highway, there is no indication drivers on the road are in any danger at this time, officials said, according to reports.
“City officials are closely monitoring the situation and will work with state and local authorities to provide updates to the community as the situation progresses,” city of Daisetta said Monday.