The heavy rains that caused flooding this week in Haverhill, Massachusetts, this week opened up a massive sinkhole that crews were still working to repair late Saturday night.
The sinkhole near Washington and Ford streets, about 20 feet wide and 20 feet deep, was preventing people who live in a nearby building from going into their homes. Workers were racing Saturday night to shore up the hole, with more rain in the forecast overnight.
"If the rain keeps washing out the area, the house has the potential to fall into the hole. So it’s catastrophic ... until we can secure the hole and backfill it with plates and gravel and stone," Haverhill Collections System Supervisor Paul Jessel said.
Residents didn't know when they'd be able to get back into their homes, and several told NBC10 Boston they were worried about safety.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
The storms this week dropped 5 inches of rain and caused $1 million in damages to Haverhill's sewer system, Mayor James Fiorentini said Friday as he declared a state of emergency.
The North Shore was hit particularly hard by the storms, which also sparked two tornadoes.
