Massive hole in Bristol still growing, threatening homes, Florida

massive-hole-in-bristol-still-growing-threatening-homes-florida

A large crater in Bristol, Florida that grew rapidly after the passage of Hurricane "Michael" in October 2018 is now threatening homes and causing evacuations. The hole is now the size of a football field and is growing with each rain.

Although the hole first appeared in the small town of Bristol even before Michael's passage (as a result of an underground pipe leak), heavy rain dropped by the hurricane caused it to grow dramatically and is now 15 m (50 feet) deep, 76 m (250 feet) long and 18 m (60 feet) wide.

The hole has so far swallowed only trees and pavement but is now threatening housing duplexes and a nearby cemetery. One of the duplex houses has already been evacuated.

Robin Hatcher, Bristol City Clerk, says there's a reason for concern that the break could cross the street and reach the cemetery before repairs begin.

Del Tucker, a Hale Contracting operations manager, said the repair should take about two weeks. "In the meantime, people should keep their distance as loose soil near the edges of the hole can be unsafe and possibly collapse into the rift."

Hurricane "Michael" came ashore along the coast of Florida Panhandle between St. Vincent Island and Panama City around 17:00 UTC on October 10, 2018, with maximum sustained winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) and minimum central pressure of 919 hPa. 

This made it the most powerful storm ever to make landfall in Florida Panhandle and the third-strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States.

Featured image credit: AccuWeather

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