Sinkhole versus...

[Medtrans]

We are in the midst of looking for our forever house in TV. Then last week's sinkhole happened and we sat back all week wondering what we should do. I read all the threads including insurance, where else would you live, etc. I even checked other areas in Arizona. THEN Friday night happened. We live in the north suburbs of Chicago. We went to bed and then all of a sudden we heard a loud boom. Was it thunder? Nope, we heard sirens after. Turns out that a house 4 or 5 miles away exploded and was leveled, damaging other homes around it. The lady who lived there had called for a gas smell, left the house and it blew up. These are multi-million dollar houses on at a private golf course, one I had attended a luncheon at for my golf season (not that I'm playing there, just had the luncheon there) on Thursday. When I got out of my car there was a horrible smell and I thought it was fertilizer for the course but thinking about it now maybe not. So to make a long story not so short, things happen and once we get all the ins info straight we will move full steam ahead. We won't let the sinkhole stop us from our dream. I hope this helps others who may have the same thoughts that we did but not so much anymore.

[pooh]

Seems no matter where one lives, there are situations and/or events of nature we have no control over.

Glad the homeowner was out of her home.

We'll leave a light shining for you....;)

[graciegirl]

Seems no matter where one lives, there are situations and/or events of nature we have no control over.

Glad the homeowner was out of her home.

We'll leave a light shining for you....;)


Just exactly what she said. This was another day I am so glad I didn't have to miss in this beautiful place with friends I love. (Pooh is one of them)

[Medtrans]

Thank you graciegirl. I hope to meet you some day as I have read your posts for awhile, among others. Our retirement date is 2015 but believe me it could happen any day as my husband may say enough is enough of corporate America.

The story I wrote about made the national news. The pictures are unbelievable. Homes nearby were damaged as well, windows blown out, etc. Hard to believe we could feel it 4 miles away, and that I had just been there the day before.

[uprivergirl]

We have had family telling us about all the sinkholes in Florida and that we shouldn't even think about moving there. We are still counting the days down until we do our preview visit May 7. My thought is if you worry about tomorrow you miss out on the enjoyment of today.

[Matzy]

You are so right! When you afraid of something it will happen and come and touch you, exactly how you might thought about.
I did hear about sinkholes in Central Florida before I decided to move to TV. It did Not affect my decision at all.

[Bizdoc]

There are positives and negatives for *any* place you might live. Decide what is most important and how likely possible risks. Don't let fear of "1 in a million" events paralyze you.

[perrjojo]

It's true, there are sink holes here. In other places there are hurricanes, tornados, mudslides, land slides, earth quakes, fires, lightening, gas explosions, illness from fracking, water contamination, and on and on. You might be in a horrific automobile accident, have a stroke, heart attack, get cancer. Life is uncertain and has no guarantees. One thing I know is to live and cherish TODAY. No, you cannot be foolish and live with your head in the sand but you MUST take every day as it comes and live it as it may be your last...cuz..well, you never know. I live my life just as it is TODAY. I choose not to fear tomorrow but only look forward to it....whatever it may bring.

[Ron1Z]

We are looking also,and will buy after I meet with a few insurance adjusters in the local area about the sink hole insurance on a used home? And I need clarification on what is considered catastrophic. and what is not. Bottom line is I need to protect my investment !

[Uptown Girl]

We are in the midst of looking for our forever house in TV. Then last week's sinkhole happened and we sat back all week wondering what we should do. I read all the threads including insurance, where else would you live, etc. I even checked other areas in Arizona. THEN Friday night happened. We live in the north suburbs of Chicago. We went to bed and then all of a sudden we heard a loud boom. Was it thunder? Nope, we heard sirens after. Turns out that a house 4 or 5 miles away exploded and was leveled, damaging other homes around it. The lady who lived there had called for a gas smell, left the house and it blew up. These are multi-million dollar houses on at a private golf course, one I had attended a luncheon at for my golf season (not that I'm playing there, just had the luncheon there) on Thursday. When I got out of my car there was a horrible smell and I thought it was fertilizer for the course but thinking about it now maybe not. So to make a long story not so short, things happen and once we get all the ins info straight we will move full steam ahead. We won't let the sinkhole stop us from our dream. I hope this helps others who may have the same thoughts that we did but not so much anymore.

I am glad you feel that way!!!!!

I'm a native Chicagoan. You may know that there have been sinkhole happenings there too. Many don't know the entire Chicago lakefront was moved by engineers and they reversed the river that runs through town. Over the history of the building of Chicago, much earth was rearranged. I am sure you remember when a hole accidentally got poked in the Chicago river bottom and a great flood happened in the basements of many large downtown office buildings, where all the mechanicals are housed. Even the Board of Trade was affected. It was a mess, yet downtown rents and real estate prices did not suffer.

One sinkhole I remember in past years took out the bottom of a downtown parking garage and sucked a few parked cars down as well.
As a kid, living in the South Shore area, we could count on tornados every summer. I lived through three that came down our block… one ripping the facade off every brick house on the opposite side of our street. Looked like a row of doll's houses afterward- you could see every interior.
(over the years, weather patterns gradually shifted and most tornados landed elsewhere- but for many years, they called the south side
'tornado valley') Snowstorms used to hit hardest south of the city. Now, the North shore gets more of the toughest of them.
We have (earthquake) fault lines across Illinois, too. And quite a few areas considered floodplains, but it hasn't stopped people from wanting to live and love there. :shrug:
As many have said, any area one chooses will have it's own environmental makeup and things to consider.
If you have lived in Chicago, you can handle anything.

And most of HERE is very good, indeed.:thumbup:

[mulligan]

Catastrophic is real simple. If the building inspector puts a condemned sign on the building, it's catastrophic ground collapse.

[perrjojo]

Just yesterday 14 people died in tornados.

[keithwand]

Then there's lightning, floods, earthquakes, love bugs, hail...no where to go but hide in a bunker and wait things out.
Seriously you or anyone will miss a lot here if you are worried about sinkholes.
C'mon down.

[Ron1Z]

Do you have home owners insurance? Why? Do you get my point? Would you still live in your house if there was a sink hole 2 doors down? 6 new listings this past week in Buttonwood? I am not against buying in TV, just want to protect my investment.

[ilovetv]

"Investments" have serious risks and routinely rise and fall with the markets' activity.

I think many of us who live here look at our homes as a place to live and make our home, and not so much as an investment.

Millions of people across the country have found out what a "good investment" their homes were when they try to sell them and could not, or have had to sell them for 50-60% of what they were worth just a couple of years before. In fact there are Villagers who fled that in other states and came here, in part because TV home prices weathered the recession well when the rest of the state was floundering.

There are all kinds of risks in real estate.

[senior citizen]

Do you have home owners insurance? Why? Do you get my point? Would you still live in your house if there was a sink hole 2 doors down? 6 new listings this past week in Buttonwood? I am not against buying in TV, just want to protect my investment.


I understand what you are saying. I agree that a home is an investment and I add that it would be difficult to "start over again" if something catastrophic happened to our dwelling. Just our own take on the matter. The ones who would "stay" are brave indeed. That's if they really studied that facts.

Also, now I know why, perhaps, we found so many "good deals" while looking at preowned homes in T.V. Many new owners were not aware of what they were buying, or perhaps it was downplayed as far as it's urgency. I do "get" homeowners wanting to protect their investments.

If not, why would so many downplay it all. Yes, life itself has no known expiration date. When it happens, it happens.
*********************

Secondly, I truly can say to others that we do not live in fear.
I would say that we are more likely living an "authentic life" and being practical. Practical and down to earth is our basic nature.

As far as others mentioning gas explosions in other parts of the U.S., where we live there is no gas into the homes........it's heating oil, etc., however, I have read very often lately of homes exploding from gas leaks............all over the U.S. A scenario one would not want to live through......or die in. Not all the time, but often, we read that "crews were just in the neighborhood".

Does The Villages have gas lines into the homes? Just wondering with such unstable "stuff" beneath the ground, how might that affect the gas lines? Or, is it all electric heat???????

Again, everyone's thoughts are valuable. There is no law that says everyone has to be on the same page. Nor is everyone living in fear.

I have great faith that I will have a long life, as have my ancestors.
Worrying is not my thing. Research is my thing. We just want to move once more and that is that. We've lived in two homes for twenty five and twenty some years each, both with no catastrophic events. Ditto for the other years in between, when we were younger. So, fear is not part of our research at all.............it's more protecting our investment and not having to START OVER at our age....after buying in Florida.

[Parker]

If we let every potential happening scare us, we'd never leave the house, wherever it is. Heck, some folks even have cars come through their walls while they're sleeping. When it is your time, it is your time, wherever you are.

[senior citizen]

If we let every potential happening scare us, we'd never leave the house, wherever it is. Heck, some folks even have cars come through their walls while they're sleeping. When it is your time, it is your time, wherever you are.

"When it is your time, it is your time, wherever you are."

Exactly what my mom used to say. She passed peacefully, in bed, at age 91. She always wondered if she'd live as long as her mother in law, my Italian grandmother, who also died in her own bed, at age 95. This is why I do not have fear.

However, neither do we want to go through any kind of catastrophic property damage**.....or the worry that would go along with that, such as being stuck with an unsaleable home.........although it doesn't really seem to be the case in T.V. They do resell and the turnover is quick.

** We are comfortable but not multi multi millionaires, so would not want to drain the bank account to repair horrific property damage.

Having been through tons of remodeling during our entire marriage, we know what it's like to have builders and contractors and all types of workmen around day and night........just don't want to go through that again, at our age now.

I'll say again, my concerns are just that, concerns..........not FEAR.
Yes, no one wants to end up like the guy in Sefner (?) Tampa area, Fl.
That's for sure........but do we dwell on it.......no.

[graciegirl]

Please reread through all of the information patiently given on all posts of sinkhole insurance and reasons for sinkholes and where they occur by folks who live here.

[slipcovers]

I think the very first upgrade to homes should be gutters and downspouts to take rainwater away from the house. If I did not have these in my house in Ma, my basement would be flooded. Although the homes in TV do not have basements, the water has to go somewhere. Just wondering, if one has a mortgage does the bank require sinkhole insurance?

[Cedwards38]

Smart and rational thinking Medtrans. We can't live our life constantly worrying about the "what ifs" when life is really about the "what is." Sinkholes are real, but rare. So are tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, sandstorms, gas explosions, meteorites, lightning, and all the other stuff that can cause havoc.

[mulligan]

Banks only require homeowner's insurance.

[buggyone]

I understand what you are saying. I agree that a home is an investment and I add that it would be difficult to "start over again" if something catastrophic happened to our dwelling. Just our own take on the matter. The ones who would "stay" are brave indeed. That's if they really studied that facts.

Also, now I know why, perhaps, we found so many "good deals" while looking at preowned homes in T.V. Many new owners were not aware of what they were buying, or perhaps it was downplayed as far as it's urgency. I do "get" homeowners wanting to protect their investments.

If not, why would so many downplay it all. Yes, life itself has no known expiration date. When it happens, it happens.
*********************

Secondly, I truly can say to others that we do not live in fear.
I would say that we are more likely living an "authentic life" and being practical. Practical and down to earth is our basic nature.

As far as others mentioning gas explosions in other parts of the U.S., where we live there is no gas into the homes........it's heating oil, etc., however, I have read very often lately of homes exploding from gas leaks............all over the U.S. A scenario one would not want to live through......or die in. Not all the time, but often, we read that "crews were just in the neighborhood".

Does The Villages have gas lines into the homes? Just wondering with such unstable "stuff" beneath the ground, how might that affect the gas lines? Or, is it all electric heat???????

Again, everyone's thoughts are valuable. There is no law that says everyone has to be on the same page. Nor is everyone living in fear.

I have great faith that I will have a long life, as have my ancestors.
Worrying is not my thing. Research is my thing. We just want to move once more and that is that. We've lived in two homes for twenty five and twenty some years each, both with no catastrophic events. Ditto for the other years in between, when we were younger. So, fear is not part of our research at all.............it's more protecting our investment and not having to START OVER at our age....after buying in Florida.

Definitely sounds as though you would be happier elsewhere than The Villages.

[graciegirl]

Definitely sounds as though you would be happier elsewhere than The Villages.



I am posting this map again so folks can see where the sinkholes have occurred since 1954.


http://www.securefsi.com/images/sinkholefaq/sinkholetype-near-map.jpg

[looneycat]

We are in the midst of looking for our forever house in TV. Then last week's sinkhole happened and we sat back all week wondering what we should do. I read all the threads including insurance, where else would you live, etc. I even checked other areas in Arizona. THEN Friday night happened. We live in the north suburbs of Chicago. We went to bed and then all of a sudden we heard a loud boom. Was it thunder? Nope, we heard sirens after. Turns out that a house 4 or 5 miles away exploded and was leveled, damaging other homes around it. The lady who lived there had called for a gas smell, left the house and it blew up. These are multi-million dollar houses on at a private golf course, one I had attended a luncheon at for my golf season (not that I'm playing there, just had the luncheon there) on Thursday. When I got out of my car there was a horrible smell and I thought it was fertilizer for the course but thinking about it now maybe not. So to make a long story not so short, things happen and once we get all the ins info straight we will move full steam ahead. We won't let the sinkhole stop us from our dream. I hope this helps others who may have the same thoughts that we did but not so much anymore.

there were maybe 6-8 homes affected by sinkholes out of 50.000+ none were lost, a couple predated occupancy...I live here and I'm not worried.

[elizabeth52]

This link was posted in another thread. You can type in a specific address or just "the villages" to see reported sinkhole activity. I typed in the Villages and with an 8 mile radius it showed 60. You can type in a specific area within the Villages and choose a radius.

Florida sinkholes map - Orlando Sentinel (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/os-florida-sinkholes-map-20130812,0,4062236.htmlpage)

[Medtrans]

Thanks everyone but I think some didn't get what I was trying to say in my particular thread....not where are sinkholes or whether or not to buy, but that after sitting back and thinking maybe we did not want to buy, a house exploded near us here in Chicago due to a natural gas explosion and so it made us see the light and go for our dream which is to retire and play golf in TV. In fact, we are interested in a particular house and tomorrow we will see if it's still listed and if so this could be the one. Fingers crossed.

[er9027]

Next year will be our 5th year...We love it. Being from the Midwest we live with Tornados etc. I don't live my life worrying about them... They are BAD. Take precautionary measures. I have insurance and a safe room to try to get safe. Now, IF I MOVE to the Villages and spend 300 to 600K on a house ...I want FULL coverage insurance! I will deal with my risk..INSURANCE company will deal with theirs...including sinkhole coverage and close to 100% coverage..IF NOT I WILL GO SOMEWHERE ELSE !! Are you saying I can't get FULL coverage..Never heard of that.

[elizabeth52]

Next year will be our 5th year...We love it. Being from the Midwest we live with Tornados etc. I don't live my life worrying about them... They are BAD. Take precautionary measures. I have insurance and a safe room to try to get safe. Now, IF I MOVE to the Villages and spend 300 to 600K on a house ...I want FULL coverage insurance! I will deal with my risk..INSURANCE company will deal with theirs...including sinkhole coverage and close to 100% coverage..IF NOT I WILL GO SOMEWHERE ELSE !! Are you saying I can't get FULL coverage..Never heard of that.

I have contacted several insurance companies. You can get it now, but I have been told that there is a strong lobby to do away with it altogether. One agent led me to this article from last year so I could familiarize myself with the issue.

Here is the link: Sinkholes And Insurance Coverage: A Growing Chasm | THELAW.TV (http://thelaw.tv/news/2013/03/27/sinkholes-and-insurance-coverage-a-growing-chasm/)

That being said, I haven't seen many posts about damages to homes due to sinkhole activity. It seems that when a sinkhole is mentioned people always refer to the catastrophic ground collapse rather than the more common sinkhole activity that can affect your property and cost a homeowner thousands of dollars. Maybe it's not that common.

[manaboutown]

It appears that of the '8 scariest sinkholes in the world' two are in Florida, one in Clermont and one in Seffner. 8 of the Scariest Sinkholes | Bankrate.com (http://www.bankrate.com/lite/insurance/scariest-sinkholes-1.aspx?ic_id=nwsltr_mtgrlest_20140501&m=1cb0d958b1a1dcbad59b9df86d6c383f&p=251543&ed_rid=HITB3KK-NFXDM-ESLJ6-67FE6-EYNDB-v1&ed_mid=251543&MSA=4472)

[rdhdleo]

We are in the midst of looking for our forever house in TV. Then last week's sinkhole happened and we sat back all week wondering what we should do. I read all the threads including insurance, where else would you live, etc. I even checked other areas in Arizona. THEN Friday night happened. We live in the north suburbs of Chicago. We went to bed and then all of a sudden we heard a loud boom. Was it thunder? Nope, we heard sirens after. Turns out that a house 4 or 5 miles away exploded and was leveled, damaging other homes around it. The lady who lived there had called for a gas smell, left the house and it blew up. These are multi-million dollar houses on at a private golf course, one I had attended a luncheon at for my golf season (not that I'm playing there, just had the luncheon there) on Thursday. When I got out of my car there was a horrible smell and I thought it was fertilizer for the course but thinking about it now maybe not. So to make a long story not so short, things happen and once we get all the ins info straight we will move full steam ahead. We won't let the sinkhole stop us from our dream. I hope this helps others who may have the same thoughts that we did but not so much anymore.

Welcome early to another Chicago area family!! I am assuming you're speaking of the mansion in Long Grove that blew up! That was pretty scary for sure. Love the Long Grove area and went there often as I lived in Arlington Hgts. for many years but was born and raised in Chicago. Good Luck on you move when it happens, you'll love this little piece of heaven. I miss a lot the Chicago area has to offer but definitely NOT the snow....LOL Again Welcome!

[Medtrans]

Yup, Long Grove. We're in Vernon Hills (not far from a Portillo's), and being 4 miles away that explosion made us jump in our bed. On a happy note, we may be putting an offer in on a house in TV today even though we won't be retiring until next year. Maybe one day we will meet and compare snow stories. I feel like I need a shirt that says "I survived the Chicago winter of 2014".

[HJM284]

We had the same concerns but also have decided that things happen everywhere. I was wondering though if there is any thing a potential home buyer can do to at least ease their mind that a big problem isn't just looming out there. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

[Bogie Shooter]

One option.

[ilovetv]

See video of block-long sinkhole devouring cars in a Baltimore residential area with bystanders filming. The last few seconds are unimaginable....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SlgTrS4cRA

[senior citizen]

See video of block-long sinkhole devouring cars in a Baltimore residential area with bystanders filming. The last few seconds are unimaginable....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SlgTrS4cRA

From "The Science Times" (link below). Ditto from National Geographic (their explanation via hyperlink below).

They claim it was NOT a sinkhole but a standard "landslide".........horrific occurrence.

""On Wednesday on an urban block in Baltimore, local TV news crews rushed to the site of a disaster: Several cars and half the street had tumbled into a railway ravine. No one was injured in what they took to calling the "Baltimore Sinkhole".

In fact, this was no sinkhole. Just your standard landslide — one that residents of that street had seen coming for a while. "My wife and I haven't been parking on that side of the street for years because we knew it was going to happen," one local resident told The Baltimore Sun. So how did it happen, and why all of a sudden on Wednesday?

A landslide is a more straightforward geological phenomenon than a sinkhole. The key ingredients are soil, a hillside, gravity, and a catalyst to get the whole thing moving. Earthquakes and explosives used in mining can do it by rattling the earth loose; seismic activity is among the most common causes. Chopping down trees can do it, too, by killing roots that help anchor the soil in place. In this case, initial reports have suggested that the cause was a lot of rain, and a weak retaining wall that was supposed to keep the hill from rolling onto the CSX tracks below. When the ground becomes saturated with water, it becomes heavier and gravity does the rest.

The mayor of Baltimore said city engineers were reviewing maintenance reports to find out if it could have been prevented. Residents said they'd seen a crack emerge in the pavement long before the hill gave way. No one was injured in this landslide, unlike the recent one in Washington that killed 29 people. In that case, some had speculated that logging or an earthquake caused it. But the U.S. Geological Survey concluded the cause there was also heavy rain.

A sinkhole is a different story. There was the infamous one a year ago in Florida in which a man was sleeping in his Tampa-area home when the Earth opened up beneath his bedroom. He died in a 30-feet-deep by 30-feet-wide hole in the ground. Florida is especially prone to sinkholes because of the limestone that underlies most of the state. But there are other types of rock that can lead to sinkholes, which can happen anywhere from Montana to Texas to New York. When acidic groundwater eats away at layers of rock beneath the soil, the rock can collapse like thin ice, pulling down everything above it.

Dozens of people have been posting pictures of the Baltimore landslide on Twitter, as CSX races to clean up the damage.""""

http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/7138/20140501/baltimore-sinkhole-actually-landslide-happen-video.htm (http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/7138/20140501/baltimore-sinkhole-actually-landslide-happen-video.htm)

International Science Times: Baltimore sinkhole was actually a landslide

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140502-baltimore-sinkhole-landslide-geology-science/ (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140502-baltimore-sinkhole-landslide-geology-science/)

Ditto. National Geographic says sinkhole was a landslide
************************************************** ********************************

Vermont also had major road and bridge destruction due to heavy rains after a tropical storm a few years back. There is a difference between a landslide vs. a "sinkhole" as well as a difference between a pothole and a sinkhole. Horrific no matter what it's called. Above article is from the "SCIENCE TIMES".

[senior citizen]

From "The Science Times" (link below). Ditto from National Geographic (their explanation via hyperlink below).

They claim it was NOT a sinkhole but a standard "landslide".........horrific occurrence.

""On Wednesday on an urban block in Baltimore, local TV news crews rushed to the site of a disaster: Several cars and half the street had tumbled into a railway ravine. No one was injured in what they took to calling the "Baltimore Sinkhole".

In fact, this was no sinkhole. Just your standard landslide � one that residents of that street had seen coming for a while. "My wife and I haven't been parking on that side of the street for years because we knew it was going to happen," one local resident told The Baltimore Sun. So how did it happen, and why all of a sudden on Wednesday?

A landslide is a more straightforward geological phenomenon than a sinkhole. The key ingredients are soil, a hillside, gravity, and a catalyst to get the whole thing moving. Earthquakes and explosives used in mining can do it by rattling the earth loose; seismic activity is among the most common causes. Chopping down trees can do it, too, by killing roots that help anchor the soil in place. In this case, initial reports have suggested that the cause was a lot of rain, and a weak retaining wall that was supposed to keep the hill from rolling onto the CSX tracks below. When the ground becomes saturated with water, it becomes heavier and gravity does the rest.

The mayor of Baltimore said city engineers were reviewing maintenance reports to find out if it could have been prevented. Residents said they'd seen a crack emerge in the pavement long before the hill gave way. No one was injured in this landslide, unlike the recent one in Washington that killed 29 people. In that case, some had speculated that logging or an earthquake caused it. But the U.S. Geological Survey concluded the cause there was also heavy rain.

A sinkhole is a different story. There was the infamous one a year ago in Florida in which a man was sleeping in his Tampa-area home when the Earth opened up beneath his bedroom. He died in a 30-feet-deep by 30-feet-wide hole in the ground. Florida is especially prone to sinkholes because of the limestone that underlies most of the state. But there are other types of rock that can lead to sinkholes, which can happen anywhere from Montana to Texas to New York. When acidic groundwater eats away at layers of rock beneath the soil, the rock can collapse like thin ice, pulling down everything above it.

Dozens of people have been posting pictures of the Baltimore landslide on Twitter, as CSX races to clean up the damage.""""

http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/7138/20140501/baltimore-sinkhole-actually-landslide-happen-video.htm (http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/7138/20140501/baltimore-sinkhole-actually-landslide-happen-video.htm)

International Science Times: Baltimore sinkhole was actually a landslide

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140502-baltimore-sinkhole-landslide-geology-science/ (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140502-baltimore-sinkhole-landslide-geology-science/)

Ditto. National Geographic says sinkhole was a landslide
************************************************** ********************************

Vermont also had major road and bridge destruction due to heavy rains after a tropical storm a few years back. There is a difference between a landslide vs. a "sinkhole" as well as a difference between a pothole and a sinkhole. Horrific no matter what it's called. Above article is from the "SCIENCE TIMES".







I added the hyperlink to the International Science Times.
Ditto....I added the hyperlink to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.
Both said that the Baltimore "sinkhole" was really a landslide.
Their links explain the difference between a landslide and a sinkhole.


No matter what one calls the Baltimore catastrophe, it was terrible to view on t.v. and no doubt even worse to witness in person.

[Happydaz]

Why has no one talked about a tsunami hitting The Villages? Or an earthquake? How about a devastating winter storm? A deep freeze that cripples commerce? An out of control fire? There are many other threats besides what people discussed here. If you let fear rule your life you will never get to experience all the wonderful things this wonderful world has to offer. That is just my opinion, no pretense of stating any human or cosmological truths.

[ilovetv]

I added the hyperlink to the International Science Times.
Ditto....I added the hyperlink to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.
Both said that the Baltimore "sinkhole" was really a landslide.
Their links explain the difference between a landslide and a sinkhole.


No matter what one calls the Baltimore catastrophe, it was terrible to view on t.v. and no doubt even worse to witness in person.

Right. And regardless of the technical term for the block-long HOLE that suddenly appaered in this Baltimore residential area, it's a hole that will affect people's peace of mind living by it, and fears about "sinking" property values and inability to sell homes.

You could probably get a really good buy there right now and avoid The Villages entirely.

[senior citizen]

Why has no one talked about a tsunami hitting The Villages? Or an earthquake? How about a devastating winter storm? A deep freeze that cripples commerce? An out of control fire? There are many other threats besides what people discussed here. If you let fear rule your life you will never get to experience all the wonderful things this wonderful world has to offer. That is just my opinion, no pretense of stating any human or cosmological truths.


Thankfully, there is no way a tsunami could reach The Villages, being so far inland. Earthquakes? I have no knowledge of that possibility with regards to Florida.

I really doubt that people allow fear to rule their lives.
I know the majority of us do experience all the wonderful things that our world has to offer. We are all blessed. You are correct.

However, knowing the facts........and living in fear are two different things.

[senior citizen]

Right. And regardless of the technical term for the block-long HOLE that suddenly appaered in this Baltimore residential area, it's a hole that will affect people's peace of mind living by it, and fears about "sinking" property values and inability to sell homes.

You could probably get a really good buy there right now and avoid The Villages entirely.


I doubt if too many folks will be flocking to Baltimore any time soon.........but then again, with climate change, so many of our states have experienced similar "landslides" after days of torrential rains. The seasons are no longer predictable, no matter where one chooses to live.

I agree with National Geographic and the International Science Times perspective on the "landslide" vs. "sinkhole" description.

So do many others I have spoken to.

You are correct that what happened in Baltimore will affect people's peace of mind, etc, etc., etc.

The 2 articles I posted above in no way diminishes the horror it was to the neighborhood where it occurred, or those who witnessed that landslide......a total nightmare for sure.

Here's a message I just received......

"""I said the same thing the first time that Diane Sawyer called it a "SINKHOLE" on the evening news. """

"""It was a "Landslide" and not a "Sinkhole". If a reporter covers a story they should use the proper words and names to describe the situation. """

"""Using improper descriptions because it sounds better is totally wrong, Diane Sawyer does this all the time, using improper words at least once a week, for scarier headlines."""