2. The first step of sinkhole emergency
preparedness is to improve your knowledge
about the emergency warning signals and
alert notifications used in your community.
Following on from this you should check your
property and its surrounding area for signs of
a sinkhole forming for example:
3. •Cracks in the exterior of the property, such as in the block or stucco
•Cracks in the interior of the property including areas along joints, windows, or doors
•Doors and windows that don’t close properly
•Sloping or uneven floors
•Muddy or cloudy well water
Outside Your Property check for:
•Previously buried items, such as fence posts, and trees becoming exposed as the ground sinks
•Gullies and areas of bare soil, that form as soil is carried towards the sinkhole
•A circular pattern of ground cracks around the sinking area
•Localized, gradual ground settlement
•Formation of small ponds, as rainfall accumulates in new areas
•Slumping or falling trees or fence posts
•Sudden ground openings or ground settlement
•Interrupted plumbing or electrical service due to damaged utility lines
•Dead or wilting vegetation caused by water being drawn away by the sinkhole
4. •Determine any risk in your locale and any hazards that go with them
•Familiarize yourself with the emergency plans of your family member’s employment building, school,
day care center, or nursing home
•Develop an Emergency Communication Plan and evacuation plan and ask an out-of-state person to
serve as a family contact
•Make the necessary preparations and arrangements for pets, seniors, and the disabled
•Make the necessary property preparations to reduce the damage from the hazard
•Instruct family members on how to shut off water, gas, and electricity to your property
•Do some first aid and CPR training
•Keep a backup generator for when of the power is out
•Create a shelter-in-place Emergency Supplies Kit
•Create a mobile Emergency Supplies Kit that you can grab and go if you need to evacuate
•Have some emergency backup cash for when a power outage shuts down banks and ATM’s
•Organize your important documents and store them in a portable lock box or safe-deposit box
•Perform home inventory, taking photo’s and video of your possessions
5. If a sinkhole suddenly starts to appear, you
will need to quickly assess the situation and
decide whether you’re going to evacuate or
shelter in Place. If in doubt you should not
take any chances and leave the immediate
area in search of safer ground.
6. ∆Don’t get too close, watch out for surface cracks and stay well back
∆If the hole is very large and a risk to others, contact local police or emergency
responders
∆Keep children away
∆Notify all local occupants
∆Notify the local Water Management District
∆Mark the hole for safety and to restrict access (Use posts with caution tape or rope)
∆Place a piece of plywood over small holes
∆Take photographs for documentation, but do not get too close to the edges
∆Do not allow unauthorized or inexperienced persons to investigate the sinkhole
7. The main priorities after the occurrence of a
Sinkhole will be to get disaster relief and
undertake the tasks of clean-up and salvage.
Refilling and repairing Sinkholes should only
be carried out by qualified, reliable people or
companies.
8. Do not refill a sinkhole with trash or debris
because filling a sinkhole with waste
materials is illegal and may cause
groundwater contamination for which the
property owner would be liable. If the amount
of material needed to fill the hole it is too
large for just soil then more materials such as
concrete and large rock may be needed. Its
also important to try to divert any excess
water away from a hole before, during and
after filling.
