Land O Lakes, Fla. (970 WFLA) - The massive sinkhole that consumed two houses Friday seems to have stopped growing, Pasco County officials said Sunday. They let residents of four homes in the Lake Padgett Estates Neighborhood evacuated Friday return home, and power to those homes was restored.
Below is the news release sent by the county:
NEW INFORMATION
There has been no expansion of the sinkhole as of 8 p.m. on 7/16/17.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requests that the County and homeowners wait a few days before doing any recovery work. DEP plans to return to the site to assess the situation.
Power was restored on Saturday, 7/15/17 to four (4) of nine (9) evacuated homes. Residents were allowed to return to the four (4) homes, leaving five (5) homes that remain evacuated and two (2) destroyed.
PREVIOUSLY RELEASED INFO:
Water depth of the sinkhole has decreased 4-6 inches since its peak 7 homes are currently impacted by the sinkhole Two homes destroyed 21835 Ocean Pines Drive 21825 Ocean Pines Drive Five homes tagged as unsafe for entry and have been evacuated as a precaution A boat was located at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive and fell into the depression. The boat is where the sinkhole is believed to have started Size: The sinkhole is 225 feet in diameter and 50 feet deep. Citizens who need help can reach out to the following: American Red Cross The Salvation Army of Pasco County Monday-Friday Pasco County Human Services at 727.847.2411 Or call the United Way of Pasco County @ 211 No injuries have been reported Pasco Emergency Management will be moving from response phase to a recovery phase which is expected to take weeks/months. Pasco County is now treating this as a hazmat incident due to possible septic tank issues and building debris The County will meet with homeowners and insurance companies to start mitigation It will take months to completely repair this sinkhole Geological experts are expected to be on scene over the weekend to help the County determine when people can get back in their homes
Pasco Sheriff’s Office will keep active presence in the community and will actively patrol all weekend to keep citizens safe. Perimeter will stay up as long as requested to do so. Deputies helped residents get personal affects out of their homes on Friday and will continue to do so this weekend.