MI - Massive sink hole prompts evacuations, state of emergency

Dec 27 2016, 12:07 pm ET

Massive Sinkhole in Fraser, Michigan, Prompts Evacuations, State of Emergency

by Elizabeth Chuck

A massive sinkhole in Michigan is threatening homes and forcing officials to pump sewage into a nearby river as they race to prevent the sludge from filling residents' basements.

The 250-foot-long, 100-foot-wide sinkhole erupted in Fraser, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, on Christmas Eve morning. Authorities believe it formed after an 11-foot-wide sewer pipe burst 55 feet below ground.

Fraser Mayor Joe Nichols declared a state of emergency on Saturday and ordered 22 homes, all on one street, to be evacuated. There have been no deaths or injuries, but three homes have been deemed uninhabitable because of damage from the sinkhole.

"One is halfway down [the sinkhole] and the other two are leaning that direction," Bob Cannon, supervisor of neighboring Clinton Township, told NBC News...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...n-prompts-evacuations-state-emergency-n700501

Fraser sinkhole raises infrastructure questions

James David Dickson , The Detroit News 8:36 p.m. EST December 27, 2016

Fraser — A massive sinkhole that emerged over the weekend as result of a leaky sewer line between Utica and Hayes has raised questions of whether the infrastructure in the area is being properly maintained.

The 100-foot-wide, 250-foot-long sinkhole has caused the evacuation of a row of homes near the corner of 15 Mile and Eberlein. Police also have closed 15 Mile between Utica and Hayes as a precaution and the city declared a state of emergency in the area. The collapse came 12 years after a smaller collapse led to a $50 million fix that took 10 months to complete...

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne.../27/gas-line-struck-fraser-sinkhole/95868792/

Official: Fraser sinkhole may demolish 3 nearby homes

Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News 3:58 p.m. EST December 28, 2016

A giant sinkhole that emerged Christmas Eve on 15 Mile between Utica and Hayes in Fraser could swallow at least three nearby homes, a neighboring community’s top official said Wednesday.

“I think three of them are going to end up in the sinkhole,” said Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon. “Even though I’m not an engineer, it appears those three homes are the ones most likely to be damaged.”

The road where the sinkhole appeared is also a border shared by Clinton Township and Fraser.

Officials said the sinkhole was caused by the collapse of a leaking sewer line that runs under 15 Mile Road...

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...y/2016/12/28/fraser-sinkhole-damage/95926610/

Rubin: With sinkhole damage, sorry — you’re not covered

Neal Rubin, The Detroit News 10:46 p.m. EST December 29, 2016

If the first thought is sympathy for the people whose homes have been fractured by the gaping sinkhole in Fraser, the reasonable second thought is self-preservation: Am I covered for that?

The answer, almost certainly, is no.

According to the Insurance Institute of Michigan (IIM), virtually no one here buys sinkhole insurance because, well, we don’t get sinkholes — at least not outside Fraser, and not at the hand of nature.

According to a lawyer who tussles with insurance companies for a living, while there are parts of a standard homeowners policy that might seem to apply to a gaping hole in the street, they don’t — at least not the way the industry defines the problem...

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/op...le-damage-fraser-insurance-coverage/95982102/

Zero accountability. What a nightmare. Sheesh.

Is anything EVER covered by a homeowners policy?