It was 1 PM on a Friday afternoon. Albert Reitz had just got back from a brunch date with his school friends. Quite tipsy, he decided to have one more glass of wine before finally deciding to trim his lawn. As he was pouring himself a violet merlot, he heard a commotion outside his main door. "Who could that be?" Before he could think of something, a man shrieked at the top of the voice, "Get out of the house. Evacuate right now!"
It was as if the whole neighborhood of Blackhawk, South Dakota came alive in the middle of the afternoon. Albert quickly picked his wallet, phone, car keys and rushed out of the house. What he saw outside was a sight full of terror - the ground right in front of his driveway was open. Soon he realized it was a massive sinkhole. Little did he know that numerous secrets, hidden for so many years, were about to be revealed.
Mowing His Lawn
Albert Reitz, a resident of Blackhawk, South Dakota had been living there with his family for more than 15 years. He loved gardening and every day after he returned from work, mowed his land.
There has never been a day when he missed mowing his land. However, one day when Albert decided to mow his lawn, something very unexpected happened. What one then, one thing led to another and soon enough, the whole story was in the news!
A Massive Sinkhole
When out of his house, the 56-year-old Albert saw a massive sinkhole that had appeared out of nowhere. Minutes before, there was grass and flowers there and suddenly the lawn disappeared, leaving behind a gigantic sinkhole.
If Albert hadn't moved out of the way on time, he probably wouldn’t have been alive today. Just when Albert was recovering from what he had just seen, he heard a loud shriek from his neighbour’s house.
John Trudo
Albert ran and knocked loudly on his neighbour’s door, John Trudo. When his neighbour opened the door, he told Albert the strange things he was experiencing. And it was exactly similar to what Albert witnessed minutes before.
They mutually decided that the strange occurrences which had happened till now were enough to declare a state of emergency. Now the big question was, were they the only ones affected?
More Panicked Residents
John and Albert ran out into the streets while John’s wife was dialing 911. The duo saw more people running out of their house shouting “Earthquake, Earthquake.”
However, Albert was very sure that it was not an earthquake but something worse. It wasn't until a couple of days later that the authorities discovered a chilling mystery behind this sudden occurence.
Multiple Sinkholes
Shortly more sinkholes appeared and six families had to be evacuated immediately. Suddenly all the residents heard a loud crashing sound and when they turned around, they saw a driveway and front yard falling into the massive sinkhole.
This was indeed a high alert situation and residents had no idea about how to proceed further. Fortunately, the authorities arrived on time and informed something mind boggling to all the residents.
Gypsum Mine
To everybody’s surprise, after a little investigation, the authorities revealed to the residents that their homes have been built over an abandoned gypsum mine. Nobody could understand how authorities missed this which put a lot of lives in danger.
To grasp the situation better, the authorities called in a caving group called Paha Sapa Grotto. When the caving group revealed the whole scope of the problem, the residents got very tense.
Paha Sapa Grotto
The Paha Sapa Grotto is a branch under the National Speleological Society and is considered a world leader in caving science, conservation, and exploration. When a member of Paha Sapa Grotto heard about the sinkhole, he knew instantly that the local emergency department wouldn't have much experience in this area and would need their help.
Soon the team arrived on site and parked their cars at a distance because anything unexpected could happen. The team then made a significant discovery, something they had never expected.
600 Feet Long
The team found out that the mine was over 600 feet long and still had some abandoned mining equipment and drilling holes lying inside. From the condition of the mine, it was evident that it was decades old.
The mine did not only have mining equipment but also some antiques and bones. Soon the team got ready to dive deeper into the cave and explore the mine closely.
Hesitant to Go Inside at First
Although the members of Paha Sapa Grotto had prior experience of exploring deep caves, they were hesitant to go inside the magically appeared gypsum mine. Their area of expertise was caves and not mines hence they were a little hesitant.
But as time passed, they realized that somebody needed to do this, and they were the best choice during that moment. Once inside, the cavers came across more baffling findings.
Old Rail Car Tracks
The members of Paha Sapa Grotto made their way carefully inside the mine and made incredible discoveries along the way. To their surprise, they found old rail car tracks that must have been used to transport material when mine was still operable.
The natural elements found inside the cave also amazed the cavers. The material which looked like wood at one glance turned into a paper pulp the moment it was touched. Was this a natural phenomenon or process of aging?
One More Surprise
A little inside the cave, the cavers spotted something bizarre which made all of them stop in their tracks. A member of the group stated that he had been on a lot of caving expeditions before but what he saw there was a first.
A rusty old car was stuck between the walls of the cave. How could it even get there? Nobody had an answer to that question...
A Truck in The Mine
As if the discovery of one vehicle was not enough, when the team moved ahead, they found remains of a massive truck inside the mine. The truck was lodged amidst the rocks nose down which made it impossible to photograph it.
These discoveries set all the caver's mind racing as to how did the vehicles end up inside the mine. Were they thrown inside the mine, or had they always been there?
The Main Task
The cavers stopped themselves from getting amazed at each discovery and decided to focus on the task at hand. Their main business down in the cave was to map the mine.
Till now they had measured 2,300 feet of linear passages and were wondering how much more they have to measure. Some of the tunnels could not be mapped properly because they collapsed but all the other tunnels they discovered were up to 40 feet wide.
Owner of The Mine
It was later revealed in a press conference that Dakota Plaster Company owned the mines. Gypsum is commonly used as an ingredient in plaster, hence, it made perfect sense as to why a plastering company owned the mines.
There were still some unanswered questions, and the cavers were working around the clock to find answers. Meanwhile, the more pressing question was what were the displaced families who lost their homes due to sinkholes doing?
The Displaced Families
The discovery of the gypsum mine, as intriguing as it is, is bittersweet for people whose homes are now in jeopardy due to safety matters. The sinkholes dislocated a total of 12 families, with a total population of 30 to 35 persons.
When Albert Reitz's lawn caved in, he raced to his neighbor, John Trudo, and asked a question that many of the neighbors are surely asking: did the land developers know and turn a blind eye?
GoFundMe Page
The question of who is to blame is particularly pressing because insurance companies are refusing to cover the damage or compensate for the loss of a home. Both John and Albert said their insurance carriers simply told them that their policies did not cover sinkhole damage.
As a result, many displaced families have turned to GoFundMe to gather donations to help them temporarily. Would the raised money be enough to bring their life back on track?
Case Filed Against Authorities
Meade County endeavored to acquire benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help families who had lost their homes. Additionally, the displeased residents filed a case against the authorities.
This is because, as indicated by openly available reports, the Meade County Planning Board knew about the mine's presence when they supported the local area development plans. A case was also filed against realtors, and designers, who might have been aware of the dangers.
The Nearby Highways
The mine threatened not only the neighborhood but also the nearby highways. As a result, engineers had to check the I90 to make sure there were no sinkholes near the highway.
After examining 1,500 feet and 18 meters below the underground mine, experts confirmed that the road in front of the underground mine was safe. Now that the road has been repaired, the county can devote all its energy to the inhabitants and decide what to do with this unexpected discovery.
Compensatory Damages
The residents who lost their home to the sinkhole are seeking $35,000,000 for compensatory damages and $40,000,000 for exemplary damages. It can be very difficult to see your house falling into a sinkhole after having spent years in it.
Every individual has a lot of memories associated with their house and family members. Could the authorities also find a way to compensate the residents emotionally?
A Big No
Even after receiving monetary compensation, the residents had a difficult time settling at new locations. Albert for instance missed mowing his lawn and planting vegetables in his kitchen garden.
Hence, the answer to the question of authorities compensating residents emotionally is a big no. The least they could do is not drag the process for very long and give the residents what they truly deserved without making their fight for it.
Sinkholes Of the Past
Sinkholes are always unwelcomed and greatly surprising but there have been sinkholes incidents in the past as well. Recently in April 2020, a huge sinkhole was formed in front of the historic Pantheon in Rome, Italy.
The sinkhole was massive and very unusual to look at but what was discovered inside the sinkhole was equally surprising. Archeologists discovered paving stones inside the sinkhole dating back to ancient Rome.
Another Sinkhole
Another sinkhole that appeared magically and dislocated a lot of people was the one in January 2020 on Via Marco Aurelio, close to the iconic Colosseum. For safety concerns, the authorities had to evacuate an entire apartment nearby.
Just like other sinkholes, this one was also examined closely. The ground surrounding the sinkhole was also checked properly to make sure no more sinkholes appear out of nowhere.
The Research
When the residents of South Dakota were filing a case against the authorities, they did spend a lot of time researching sinkholes. They wanted to be well aware of all the facts to be able to fight their case properly in the courthouse.
For the same, they formed small groups and distributed research material amongst all the groups to cover as much material as possible. Now you might be wondering did all of their hard work bring positive results or did it all go to waste.
Everything Looks Positive
The resident's hard work and will to fight for their rights did not go to waste. The legal processes are indeed very long and are getting immensely stretched but it is moving in a positive direction.
The court recognized the physical, mental, and emotional trauma all the residents had to go through. The court is now trying to serve them justice and give them their compensations as soon as possible