Tony Duncan / Johnson City Press via AP
A gaping sinkhole opened in the bottom of a swimming pool, Dec. 8, at the home of Brad Thelen in Erwin, Tenn., draining the pool. The family removed valuables and is staying with relatives until the sinkhole stabilizes.
WSMV-TV and AP reports:
Homeowner Brad Thelen said the noise of the sinkhole opening under the in-ground pool awakened his wife Chemene on Wednesday night, according to The Johnson City Press.
The hole was about 10 feet across Thursday afternoon. By Thursday evening, it had tripled in size and was not far from the Thelans' home.
It's worse than monsters in the dark or something creeping under your bed. Guardian.co.uk reports that a sinkhole appeared in the home of a woman in Guatemala City.
Johan Ordonez / AFP - Getty Images
A man inspects measures the depth of a sinkhole in Guatemala City on July 19.
Johan Ordonez / AFP - Getty Images
A man inspectas a sinkhole formed in a house on July 19, 2011 in the north of Guatemala City. When neighbors heard the loud boom overnight they thought a cooking gas canister had detonated. Instead they found a deep sinkhole the size of a large pot inside a home in a neighborhood just north of Guatemala City. The sinkhole was 12.2 meters (40 feet) deep and 80 centimeters (32 inches) in diameter, an AFP journalist who visited the site reported. Police, members of the country's natural disaster office and water utility company officials came to visit the site. Sinkholes, formed by the natural process of erosion, can be gradual but are often sudden.
Guatemala City, built on volcanic deposits, is especially prone to sinkholes, often blamed on a leaky sewer system or on heavy rain. AFP PHOTO / Johan ORDONEZ (Photo credit should read JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Logan Mock-Bunting / Getty Images
A utility worker looks underground while inspecting the scene where a sinkhole collapsed part of Friendship Blvd. in Chevy Chase, Md. on Friday, Dec. 3. No one was reported injured in the accident which was caused by a broken water main.
When I first published this image I declined to insert any of my banter and let the image speak for itself. But after reading several of your comments on our facebook page, I was compelled to post a sampling of your responses that bring a little light to an unfortunate situation where, thankfully, nobody was hurt.
Feel free to leave your own creative response in the comment section below.
Jeff Gettle: That should buff out.
Tim Quinlan: I wonder if Geico covers that...
Owen Phelps: They're playing hide and seek. The car's winning.
Jeff Gettle (again): The hydraulics on that car are sick.
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