Storms cause sink hole in Cleveland

CLEVELAND – Saturday's heavy rain caused a massive sinkhole to develop along Highway 129 just south of the Cleveland Square.

Long-time resident Ricky Young said that years ago a culvert was installed parallel to the busy highway to accommodate the waters of Mossy Creek. The culvert was then backfilled and paved over in some areas.

“This hard rain we have had has somehow caused the culvert to collapse. The concrete and the pavement and part of (the parking lot of) Sonic Drive-In is caving into this huge ravine,” Young described from the scene.

The cave-in was described as approximately fifteen feet wide and extending over 200 feet in length. Young added, “It’s continuing to cave-in as we stand here.”

David Murphy, White County Emergency Management Agency Director, said, "It appears that the drainage system for this particular part of 129 became overloaded...and caused the water to back up."

The White County Sheriff’s Department verified that the highway itself was not damaged, but that emergency personnel were on scene evaluating the situation.