Fear rising as sinkholes open

A family in a another district in The City now fear for their safety since the discovery of a minor sinkhole on their property at Rock Gap, Baxters Road.Krystal Bowen discovered the sinkhole last Friday. “A heavy vehicle had just passed after which my mother said she heard a whooshing noise and the earth just caved in,” Bowen recalled. The situation is believed to have worsened with the recent rains.  “Yesterday the water was just flowing through the hole and disappearing; the water is just being sucked up,” Bowen said.The hole was first noticed on Friday, but since then the hole has collapsed even further. The entire area around the opening has sunk and is unstable.Bowen said the hole that was discovered on Friday was the second she and her mother had found. “A few weeks ago my mother was pulling grass next to the house when I heard her calling to me. She had fallen into a hole up to her knee.” The Bowens are still afraid to venture into the area which is now overrun with grass and bush.Bowen is afraid the entire area is unsafe and poses a threat to persons living in the area. “Whenever vehicles pass, the entire house shakes and you can feel the earth vibrating beneath you,” she said.The Bowens said they were afraid that the hole would continue to sink. “It poses great danger to everyone. There are a lot of people who use the road on a daily basis, especially children. A worker from the Ministry of Transport and Works came and placed a caution sign over the hole and left,” a concerned Bowen said.Earlier this month, a resident of 3rd Avenue New Orleans, Tawanda Mayers, was hanging clothes in her yard when her right leg fell through the earth, up to her hip.  There were several other holes discovered across that district. (LK)