Concerned citizens in Falmouth, N.S. are coming together at a community meeting on Wednesday as they try to get answers about what led to the destruction of a home when a sinkhole opened underneath it.
Citizens have been invited to the home of Debby Rose on Gabriel Road at 7:30 p.m., so that they can speak with experts like lawyers and insurance representatives.
Rose says she only found out her neighbourhood has been mapped as high risk for naturally occurring sink holes as a result of a Global News report.
“These three words: ‘high-risk sinkholes’ could be the ruin of all of us here,” said Rose.
“It just amazed me that that kind of information was out there, obviously it was there for officials to see so when permits were given for homes to be built in this area, was that even considered? Was that discussed? Was it disclosed? Why were permits issued for homes to be built here if they’re built over a high-risk sink hole, it doesn’t make sense.”
READ MORE: The night a Nova Scotia house fell into the ground
Rose lives next to Heather Strickey whose two-storey home started to sink into the ground after a large hole opened up underneath it early Sunday morning.
The home has since been condemned and deemed unsafe.
She wants answers about what happened at the home and wants to be sure it’s an isolated incident.
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But officials are not giving her any answers.
“Is this perhaps the result of man-made? Is it because the house has no rain gutters on it? Did it undermine its own slab? These are all things that we need to know and because we’re not being told, obviously, we’re all angry and frustrated,” she said.
Municipality not talking about hole
Despite repeated requests, both Warden Abraham Zebian and CAO Cathie Osborne were unavailable for interviews on Wednesday.
Originally, the municipality referred to what happened at the home as a sink hole but Osborne now describes it as soil giving away under the slab of the home.
In an email, Osborne said she had no new information on the hole under the home of Chris and Heather Strickey and that she “prefer not to speculate.”
Osborne did add that “it is common knowledge that portions of West Hants, the Town of Windsor and parts of East Hants overlay gypsum deposits and have for hundreds of years. Structures are built to national building code and engineering standards which, I am told, consider the soil structure and underlying topography in design and placement. The building inspectors role is to inspect the construction of the structure based on the code and any relevant engineering requirements.”
The lack of information is concerning to some in the community, including Rose.
“Because of the lack of communication with the municipality, with the council, with the warden, it just seems to us like there’s something going on that they’re trying to hide,” she said.
WATCH: Area where Nova Scotia home ruined over weekend already considered ‘high risk’ for sink holes: officials
Neighbour can’t sell home because of hole
Until this weekend, Rose’s home was for sale — but that’s not the case anymore.
That’s because as a real estate agent, Rose says the property is less likely to sell until answers are given about what happened at the home.
“It depends on the outcome actually, what will happen. But under the current negativity that’s out there, it’s just not a good time to have our home exposed on the market,” said Rose.
“This was our retirement in this home. We had it on the market. Sunday afternoon we withdrew it from the market because obviously, the negativity around all of this has a huge impact. A huge impact on, not only our property but properties here in the area.”
Falmouth, Antigonish, Cape Breton all mapped as ‘high risk’ for sink holes
Bob Ryan, a geologist with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), says the area in Falmouth, N.S., where the home is located, is mapped as “high-risk” for naturally occurring sink holes.
It’s one of a number of areas across Nova Scotia that have that designation by DNR.
“It makes it high risk because of the rock type that’s underneath the gypsum and it’s usually the gypsum in the province that gives us the problem,” said Ryan. “There’s sporadic areas in the Windsor area, up in Kennetcook, over to the Shubenacadie and Shubenacadie Basin area, in Cape Breton, Antigonish, so it’s spread around.”
Although sink holes aren’t uncommon in the province, Ryan says the type of damage that’s being seen in Falmouth is. “Even though we have high-risk areas, actual damage to infrastructure and houses is rare. Doesn’t mean there isn’t a risk but doesn’t mean your house will go into a sink hole tomorrow either.”
Here is a Department of Natural Resources map that shows the areas with potential for natural sinkholes. The areas shaded in blue are considered high risk for naturally occurring sink holes.
As for the homeowners, Strickey says they remain in limbo and have not yet heard what will happen with their insurance.
A date has not been set for when the home will be demolished.
The Department of Natural Resources has an interactive map available for the public to use if they would like to see what areas in the province have been mapped as a high risk for naturally occurring sink holes. It can be found by clicking here.
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