Storms Cause Massive Sinkhole in Indiana

It was never clear which of three towns was responsible for repairing a small hole in the Castro's backyard. Then Mother Nature forced the issue.

Letitia and Frank Casto have been fighting for years to get what used to be a small sinkhole fixed in their northwest Indiana backyard.

Because of where the hole sits, it was never clear which of three towns was responsible for the repairs. Different towns temporarily filled in the 4-by-6-foot hole at least 20 times before, but it didn't help.

"The boundary line between Dyer and Schererville runs right through our house," Letitia Casto said, noting the Munster border sits right behind it.

"Nobody wants to claim it because it's going to cost so much money to fix," she said.

Then Mother Nature forced the issue this weekend.

The ground gave way in the pouring rain during Saturday's storms, creating a 40-by-30-foot sinkhole. Five of the Castro's trees fell into the hole in the storm.

"I was going crazy," Castro said, "couldn't believe what was happening. And then when the trees started going ..."

The towns called in a construction crew that's already working to shore up the hole and fix the collapsed storm sewer pipes that caused it.

John Dudlicek of Grimmer Construction called the sinkhole a high-risk issue that needs to be fixed immediately.

Schererville's public works director said the three towns are working on an agreement to figure out who will pay for the repairs, which could take weeks to complete.

Castro is glad a years-long problem is getting a solution, but she's still on edge.

"It's scary," she said. "They guaranteed me that it won't get to the house, but they also told me this would never happen."

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