Pasco officials continue to monitor sinkhole, but allow some families to go home

Lamaur Stancil
Florida Today
Pasco County officials continued Saturday to deal with the aftermath of a sinkhole that swallowed two homes and forced evacuations

With no growth for the Pasco County sinkhole since Friday afternoon, authorities allowed four families in vicinity of the crevasse to return home Saturday.

Residents in the Land O' Lakes neighborhood Friday woke up to the growing sinkhole, which destroyed two homes and swallowed a pool. Geologists are examining the land this weekend to determine if the shifting of the soil and rock is done. Until then, five other families who evacuated will continue to wait and see when they can go home.

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The hole is 50 feet deep and 225 feet wide.

"The cleanup will take weeks" because of the septic tanks trapped in the sinkhole, said Kevin Guthrie, assistant county administrator for public safety, "Fixing the road and the lots? That could take months."

The immediate task Friday was making sure everyone near the sinkhole was safe the and important items could be removed from their homes. Sheriff's deputies aided a woman who uses a walker to move to get out of her home, Guthrie said. They also drove a recreational vehicle out of the sinkhole's path, shortly before the driveway it was in was swallowed.

"Extraordinary story after extraordinary story," Guthrie said, adding that the deputies had to find the keys for the RV before moving it.

Pasco has a history of sinkholes, but Friday's is likely the largest the county has had in six decades, the Sheriff's Office said.

Property owners for the land swallowed by the sinkhole would have the option of rebuilding there once the land is stabilized, county officials said.