Massive Sinkhole Swallowing Michigan House Creates Holiday Chaos

Residents of nearly two dozen homes may be displaced for several weeks after a giant sinkhole opened Christmas Eve when a large sewer interceptor collapsed in the Detroit suburb of Fraser. The disaster is causing short- and long-term problems, and a section of 15 Mile Road where the sinkhole is threatening to swallow the home of Jerry and Sue Albu could be closed for months as officials pursue costly fixes.

The sinkhole in the vicinity of 15 Mile and Eberlein Drive made for a chaotic holiday for the affected residents who had to move their family gatherings and could create environmental consequences. City officials said at an emergency meeting Monday that raw sewage is being pumped directly into the Clinton River to mitigate rainfall-related backups that could occur in residents’ basements.

The Albus awoke around 4 a.m. Saturday morning to an odd popping sound, which they later discovered was the sound of the splintering of bricks used to construct their home.

The couple experienced a similar sinkhole in 2004 when a sinkhole occurred right outside the kitchen, The Detroit News reported. They had only lived there for about five years, and moving would have required both a willing buyer and a pre-sinkhole price.

Frank Guido, the Albus’ lawyer, said at a Monday’s public meeting he is “concerned” that the repair work completed in 2004 weakened the interceptor and related infrastructure, but engineering consultant Fritz Klinger said it wasinspected two years after the work was done and repairs were made in 2010.

Officials characterized release of raw sewage into the Clinton River as a last resort in response to heavy rains, warm temperatures and melting snow, the Detroit Free Press reported. “It should return to normal flow fairly quickly,” said Brian Baker, the chief deputy commissioner for Macomb County Public Works Commissioner-elect Candice Miller.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is aware of the temporary diversion, Baker said.

“The number one objective of this project was basically to make sure that with the collapse occurring, we don’t have any significant basement backups,” said Scott Lockwood, executive vice president at AEW and lead engineer for Fraser.

The sinkhole that is swallowing the Albu home is about 100 feet wide and 250 feet long, and it is larger than the one that occurred 12 years ago. That one cost $53 million to repair. It is the third sinkhole in Fraser in 40 years, and residents who attended the public meeting Monday pressed officials to determine the root cause of the recurring problems.

“The immediate thing is to make sure everything is stabilized and people are taken care of and to try to protect property to the extent we can,” said state Sen. Steve Bieda, a Democrat from Warren. “It’s obviously a very emotional thing and I’m very concerned about residents and businesses in this area.”

About 50 people who attended the meeting complained of lack of insurance coverage, the impact on their property values and other concerns, The Detroit News reported.

“My heart goes out to you,” Fraser Mayor Joseph Nichols said. “I know that people here are very upset and understandably so. We are upset for you. We are looking for answers. If we stay strong, we will get through this … and we will get home.”

The evacuated residents are being allowed to reenter their homes and gather their belongings, and a temporary road is being established that will serve as a detour around the site and provide access to a nearby senior center.

Local businesses also have been affected. Anthony Michael, owner of The Flower Peddler, figures he lost about $10,000 worth of Christmas flower sales over the weekend.

A natural gas line erupted Tuesday while workers were making temporary repairs. Deb Dodd, a spokeswoman for Consumers Energy, said workers plan to weld the hole in the gas main to repair it. There were no injuries.

Photo by Dean Strelau via Flickr Commons