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Newport News woman worried over sinkholes in her yard

Posted at 7:10 PM, Mar 05, 2013
and last updated 2013-03-05 19:10:58-05

A Newport News woman is worried about the continuing problem with sinkholes in her yard.

Barbara Blume says she's been battling the problem since 2006.

Most of the holes have been small, but Blume has photos of one sinkhole that was nearly 3 feet wide and several feet deep!

"You can walk in the yard and feel where they are going," Blume explained.

Blume thinks the problem is the result of a ravine in a neighboring yard being filled in over the years.

"They were filling in the natural ravine, they started hauling truckloads of dirt in here," Blume stated.

The owners of that property no longer live in the home that's now in foreclosure, so Blume has been forced to pay to fill in each of the sinkholes.

Blume says images of a man in Florida being swallowed alive by a sinkhole while sleeping in bed this week have her even more concerned about her safety.

"It worries me everyday. Every day," Blume explained.

Blume says she'll continue to fill in the sinkholes as they develop, but is frustrated that she can't buy insurance against the sinkholes in Virginia.