Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind., Hotline column
By Jeff LaFave, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Q: Dear Hotline, I have what appears to be a sinkhole opening up on my property. What should I do? Would you know whom I could contact to take a look at it and give me an evaluation of any possible safety issues?
C.K.,
A: Hotline tries to avoid recommending one business or contractor over another when possible, but I can recommend some starting points for battling a potential sinkhole.
According to the
"The limestone here is construction-grade. While it does dissolve -- as the abundance of local caves proves -- the process is very slow. While the ceiling of a cave can suddenly collapse and cause a sinkhole above it, in
Here's what you should do, now that I've dismissed the scarier possibilities:
--Document the area and stay away: Take photographs (time-stamped, if possible) of the area as soon as possible. This will be handy for legal documentation and insurance claims. Fence or mark the area off from kids and pets. Even a minor yard hole can cause serious injury.
--Speak with your insurance company and consult blueprints: Sinkholes can create other problems, affecting such things as gas lines or power lines that run by your house. If you live in a neighborhood, your homeowner's association will want to know ASAP, to help both you and your neighbors assess the situation. Insurance companies usually send out an adjuster, who will decide if a soil test is necessary to request work from a foundation company.
There's a reasonable chance that the imperfection in your lawn isn't a true "sinkhole" after all. Per www.sinkhole.org, it could be some shrink-swell clay that moved around based on precipitation, some buried debris from previous landscaping, a change in the groundwater level or some vegetation roots that got out of hand.
What the Dickens does kibosh mean?
Q: What does it mean to put a "kibosh" on something? I keep hearing my co-workers say it.
L.S.,
A: Merriam-
Its first written appearance was in
Write to Hotline, c/o The Herald-Times, P.O. Box 909,
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Wordcount: | 532 |
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