What to know about sinkholes after a Pennsylvania woman may have disappeared into one

Um We’d like to provide you with *** brief update on this, this very, very intensive effort uh in the search for Miss Pollard. Uh We remain hopeful that she has found, uh the efforts are continuing throughout the course of the incident. We have had well over 100 emergency personnel here at the site uh working through the night. Um Some of them have left some of many of which have been replaced by other personnel. The efforts are ongoing today. I’d like to also address uh some rumors that have been going around. We’ve been made aware of some rumors. Uh One being that Miss Pollard has been found that is false. Uh We are still actively searching for Miss Pollard. We are hopeful uh that she is found alive. Uh And like, uh I would like now to turn this over to Chief Bacha with the Unity Fire Department uh for his remarks. Thank you, Che, thank you. Just to give everybody *** quick update. Uh At this point, we’ve had *** lot of resources here uh working the scene uh from our local fire departments to *** Countywide uh uh technical team. We have had the Pennsylvania Task Force, one uh urban search and rescue team here helping as well. Uh We’re still working on some uh cameras, some electronic devices, some canines, uh uh for various reasons to go through and trying to, uh, uh locate Miss Pollard. Um, at this point, uh, the, the scope of the, the, uh because of the situation of the mines is beyond sending rescuers in. Um We’ve, we’ve hit that part about three o’clock this morning. I believe it was that uh we’ve, we’ve exceeded that capability. Um Our work is gonna continue with electronics, um, cameras. Um We had *** couple of new uh uh cameras that have come uh came to us recently that we’re gonna, we’re gonna make some attempts to see if we can uh uh any hope of locating where, where she’s at in, in the, in the mine area. Um At this point, uh our digging is going to continue with excavation with an ex uh with uh heavy equipment. Um And we’re not gonna be sending rescuers into the area because of the danger uh that it’s in uh this was an extremely labor intensive operation. Um uh We started off with uh doing *** uh uh getting people ready to do *** dig in the area where the initial collapse was um doing it by hand, the things uh changed quickly whenever we ran into an oxygen oxygen ocean atmosphere, which meant at that point, everybody that was uh going into that area to do that. Excavation work had to be on breathing apparatus. So that’s one of the main things that we had. So we took *** lot of resources, *** lot of fire departments, uh the task force team that was here, um to, to get what we to, to keep going and working. We were at, um, this time we’re still hopeful. Um, we’re gonna keep working to see what we can, uh uh find Mrs Pollard um, at this point, uh uh we’re moving forward but uh we’re not sending rescuers into any of the mines that is way too unstable. Um The bureau of mine, people have been here. Um That is another whole uh concept, um, being that the fact that it’s an abandoned mine um versus an active mine. So it’s, it’s *** whole another animal, uh trying to be able to send somebody into that and that’s pretty much all we have for you at this point. Thank you, sir. Uh Are there any questions for either myself or the chief? Yes, sir. Um From, from what you have been able to see, you know, what is sort of the physical situation down the line? You know, what does it kind of look like as you’re, as you’re moving cameras around down there? Thank you. I’ll let the chief speak to the Yeah, the best I can tell you, he’s, he asked about what the condition was in the mine. Um at this point, uh The, the, the roof of the mine has collapsed in several places. It’s unstable. That’s the, that’s the biggest problem. Um We’ve been uh continuing to excavate and, and pull around. Um, we used the, the, the biggest help that we had was ***, was *** vacuum truck from our local, uh, municipal water authority um, that we were able to, to remove *** lot of that dirt to try to excavate. Um We did get, you know, where we went, where we thought that she was at. We’ve, we’ve been to that spot. Um What happened at that point? I don’t know, maybe, maybe the, the slurry of uh mud pushed her one direction. There, there are several different, uh uh seem to that mine that the shafts that all came together where uh uh where this happened at. Um The Bureau of Mines provided us some maps. They were hand drawn maps from the forties. Um So there, there’s *** lot of things that were written there. Um They got, they’re pretty good what they had but uh we’re to *** point there that, uh it’s just not safe because of the, the, the actual collapse of the, uh it’s just so old. It’s, it’s, there’s nothing there, none of the, none of the shoring that was there is, is holding up anymore. Uh You mentioned that oxygen may be an issue down there and, and obviously we’re all trying to stay positive, but uh I, is that now *** concern for MS Pollard *** Absolutely. It was, it was oxygen deficient, but at the same time, uh, you know, we’ve, we’ve had experts, uh, many experts here from, from various areas. Um, many of the times we would blow air into, uh, we have, we have, uh fans, special fans that are made for that to blow air fresh oxygen in, at the same time, that can also create another problem in *** coal mine. Um It can actually pull methane back into an area where we didn’t have methane right now. We had no explosive gasses. So that was something that was, that was um uh thrown out early on because of the possibility of what that could do. Obviously, we don’t want an explosion with when we’re digging. You mentioned that the roof of the of what the the shafts collapsed is, does that mean that there is *** immediate danger to the surrounding area as well? Uh I can’t say I am not *** something for the Bureau of Mines to answer that, but it is something that has happened. Uh And keep in mind we’re 30 ft below ground. Uh you gonna be below ground level. So there’s *** lot of uh there’s places where there is evidence that some of the roof has collapsed. How’s that in different parts of the mines where they were able to see? We’ve been told that there tear down some of the garage here and Mondays, uh because of line subsidence. Um, do you have any information as to that if there’s any structural issues with the garage or is the restaurant in danger at all? Um, I, I can’t speak to that. I’m not an expert in those areas, but we do have uh active involvement with the township and uh with the Bureau of Mine Safety. Those are things that they would be looking into. Have you ever seen anything like this before in this area? Not necessarily *** rescue. Um But *** sequel of this severity uh personally, in my experience as *** trooper, I have not uh chief, I’ll let you speak to that if you’d like to. Yeah, I mean, we, this western Pennsylvania is ***, is *** series of coal patch towns, especially in this area. Um There’s my all through this area and I’m sure the Bureau of Mines could give you *** little bit more information on that. Um But they’re out there there, there’s been single uh areas. Uh um you can probably go back and do some research. Uh I know in the Latrobe area within the last 10 years that there was uh *** house compromise from, from mine, uh you know, collapse. So it’s here, it’s prevalent. Um If you don’t, uh one of the things I know the D Department of Environmental Protection uh is there’s mine subsidence insurance and you can, there’s maps if you can see if your house is over top of *** mine. Uh, definitely *** smart thing to do. Uh, and they can definitely give you some more information about that.

What to know about sinkholes after a Pennsylvania woman may have disappeared into one

Updated: 1:20 PM EST Dec 4, 2024

Authorities fear a woman in western Pennsylvania who disappeared while looking for her cat may have been swallowed by a sinkhole.Crews lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole on Tuesday but no sound was detected, while a second camera lowered down showed what could be a shoe. Rescuers worked through the night and on Wednesday.Police say Elizabeth Pollard’s relatives called police at about 1 a.m. Tuesday to say she hadn’t been seen since Monday evening when she went to search for her cat. They found Pollard’s 5-year-old granddaughter in her parked car near the manhole-sized opening.Here are some things to know about sinkholes:What are sinkholes?A sinkhole is an area of ground that has no natural external surface drainage and can form when the ground below the land surface can no longer support the land above, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The land usually stays intact for a period of time until the underground spaces just get too big. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then a sudden, dramatic collapse of the land surface can happen.How common are sinkholes?Sinkholes are most common in what geologists call karst terrain, which involves types of rock including limestone below the land surface that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. They can also happen due to old underground mines.The most damage from sinkholes in the U.S. tends to occur in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Florida, for example, is highly susceptible to sinkholes because it sits above limestone.How big are sinkholes?Sinkholes can range in size from holes that are just a few feet wide to ones that cover a vast area spanning hundreds of acres. Their depth can also vary from just a few inches to more than 100 feet. Some are shaped like shallow bowls or saucers, whereas others have vertical walls. Some hold water and form ponds.Other recent sinkholesIn June, a giant sinkhole in southern Illinois swallowed the center of a soccer field built on top of a limestone mine, taking down a large light pole and leaving a gaping chasm where squads of kids often play. No one was hurt.In 2023, a sinkhole that in 2013 fatally swallowed a man sleeping in his house in suburban Tampa, Florida, reopened for a third time, but it was behind chain-link fencing and caused no harm to people or property. Officials said the sinkhole reopening was not unusual, especially in central Florida with its porous limestone base.A large sinkhole opened up in 2020 in South Dakota near where a man was mowing his lawn. Testing revealed a large, improperly sealed mine beneath part of the housing subdivision, and a 40-foot-deep pit mine in another corner of the neighborhood, a lawyer for some of the area homeowners said. Since the first giant collapse, more sinkholes have appeared.A large sinkhole that swallowed oil field equipment and some vehicles in southeastern Texas in 2008 expanded in 2023 when another sinkhole developed and joined the first one.

Authorities fear a woman in western Pennsylvania who disappeared while looking for her cat may have been swallowed by a sinkhole.

Crews lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole on Tuesday but no sound was detected, while a second camera lowered down showed what could be a shoe. Rescuers worked through the night and on Wednesday.

Police say Elizabeth Pollard’s relatives called police at about 1 a.m. Tuesday to say she hadn’t been seen since Monday evening when she went to search for her cat. They found Pollard’s 5-year-old granddaughter in her parked car near the manhole-sized opening.

Here are some things to know about sinkholes:

What are sinkholes?

A sinkhole is an area of ground that has no natural external surface drainage and can form when the ground below the land surface can no longer support the land above, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The land usually stays intact for a period of time until the underground spaces just get too big. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then a sudden, dramatic collapse of the land surface can happen.

How common are sinkholes?

Sinkholes are most common in what geologists call karst terrain, which involves types of rock including limestone below the land surface that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. They can also happen due to old underground mines.

The most damage from sinkholes in the U.S. tends to occur in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Florida, for example, is highly susceptible to sinkholes because it sits above limestone.

How big are sinkholes?

Sinkholes can range in size from holes that are just a few feet wide to ones that cover a vast area spanning hundreds of acres. Their depth can also vary from just a few inches to more than 100 feet. Some are shaped like shallow bowls or saucers, whereas others have vertical walls. Some hold water and form ponds.

Other recent sinkholes

In June, a giant sinkhole in southern Illinois swallowed the center of a soccer field built on top of a limestone mine, taking down a large light pole and leaving a gaping chasm where squads of kids often play. No one was hurt.

In 2023, a sinkhole that in 2013 fatally swallowed a man sleeping in his house in suburban Tampa, Florida, reopened for a third time, but it was behind chain-link fencing and caused no harm to people or property. Officials said the sinkhole reopening was not unusual, especially in central Florida with its porous limestone base.

A large sinkhole opened up in 2020 in South Dakota near where a man was mowing his lawn. Testing revealed a large, improperly sealed mine beneath part of the housing subdivision, and a 40-foot-deep pit mine in another corner of the neighborhood, a lawyer for some of the area homeowners said. Since the first giant collapse, more sinkholes have appeared.

A large sinkhole that swallowed oil field equipment and some vehicles in southeastern Texas in 2008 expanded in 2023 when another sinkhole developed and joined the first one.