A grant from FEMA will allow Florida officials to spend three years learning more about the state’s vulnerability to sinkholes. Researchers say information gathered in three pilot counties could lead to conclusions about all 67.
Geologists will spend more than a million dollars, starting in Hamilton, Columbia and Suwannee Counties. State geologist Jonathan Arthur says they’re good case studies for the rest of the state…
“We selected those because they give us a nice geological diversity that represents the state at large within the geographic area. And it’s also the area where a significant number of sinkholes occurred in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby.”
Arthur says by the time the study is complete, his team will have enough information to craft a map outlining which areas of Florida appear most at risk for sinkholes. He adds only four people are known to have died in Florida history as a result of sinkholes, and half of those were the result of man-made problems.