The gigantic Texas sinkhole, which first appeared in 2008, has expanded since Sunday and is now more than 1,000 feet wide and 400 feet deep
- The sinkhole in Daisetta, Texas grew over 150 feet in width and depth this week
- Residents said they packed bags and positioned their cars to flee if necessary
- Authorities said there was nothing they could do to prevent the sinkhole from collapsing
A huge hole in southeast Texas that first made headlines in 2008 by threatening homes began to crumble again over the weekend, exploding overnight to over 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep.
After years of stability, the rim of the hole in the ground in Daisetta began to crumble again on Sunday night after local residents reported hearing a pop “like a gunshot” from the ground hours earlier.
Neighbors went to bed Sunday night and awoke to find the sinkhole was growing and has since increased about 150 feet in width and depth.
The hole first terrorized the neighborhood 15 years ago when it started out as a 20 foot hole but soon became a crater about 900 feet in diameter and 250 feet deep. As it grew, it swallowed cars, oil tanks and power lines, causing extensive road closures in the small town.
Experts believe the sinkhole was caused by erosion of a large salt dome – a large underground salt deposit – on which Daisetta was built.
The sinkhole in Daisetta, Texas, has grown about 150 in width and depth since Sunday
An aerial view of the sinkhole as it has grown since it reopened Sunday night
Images of Daisetta showed a large metal tank that had fallen into the sinkhole and even a building that began to sway over the edge. Authorities said the metal tanks were empty and posed no risk, but said they were checking whether other tanks nearby needed to be moved.
The neighbors woke up on Monday morning and were shocked to see the sinkhole that had grown so suddenly overnight.
“We never thought it would start again,” neighbor Linda Hoover told KTRK. “When we bought our house a few years ago, we assumed it was stabilized.”
Other neighbors said they didn’t sleep well at night because they feared their homes would collapse under them during the night.
“I had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night because I didn’t know if we were going to get swallowed. My family told me that it was pretty quick before,” said Jordana Priessler.
Tim Priessler recalled the dramatic experience as he watched the sinkhole reopen.
“My neighbor came by and said he kept hearing popping noises like a gunshot,” he said. We went into the back yard, and that’s when buildings collapsed. It was like in a movie. You can see cracks forming in the ground.”
Hoover said she and her family packed their bags and positioned their cars so they could flee at short notice if the sinkhole threatened their home.
“My biggest fear is that it will overtake us at night. So that’s why we couldn’t really sleep,” she said. “We packed our bags just in case and parked our cars in a weird way. So we can get out of here quickly if we have to.”
The bottom near the edge of the sinkhole could be seen as it fell into the earth
The Daisetta sinkhole in 2008 after growing from a 20 foot hole to a 900 foot crater
According to KTRK, fire officials serving Daisetta said there was nothing they could do about sinkholes and that they were a force of nature doing what they wanted.
“Sinkholes are extremely unpredictable,” said Liberty County Deputy Fire Marshal Erskin Holcomb. “It can take a week to move a foot, or it can crumble 20 feet overnight.”
Daisetta officials at the time said no evacuations were needed.
“City officials immediately contacted the offices of the Liberty County Judge, the Liberty County Fire Marshal and the Texas Division of Emergency Management and notified residents in the immediate area of the situation,” the city said in a statement. “City officials are closely monitoring the situation and will be working with state and local authorities to keep the community informed as the situation evolves.”
Salt domes form when a subsurface layer of salt accumulates in a large column underground, forming a dome shape just below the surface of the earth.
As the salt is eroded, caverns within the dome open up, which can collapse and create sinkholes.