Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Landslide forces evacuation of houses in Florence

Residents of two Florence Township houses along the Delaware River were urged to leave, their homes declared unsafe to occupy Wednesday, after a landslide took away a large part of their backyards.

Much of the backyards of two houses in the 500 block of East Front Street in Florence collapsed. The homes were declared unsafe and the residents were urged to leave. An overflowing storm drain may be to blame. (STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer)
Much of the backyards of two houses in the 500 block of East Front Street in Florence collapsed. The homes were declared unsafe and the residents were urged to leave. An overflowing storm drain may be to blame. (STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer)Read more

Residents of two Florence Township houses along the Delaware River were urged to leave, their homes declared unsafe to occupy Wednesday, after a landslide took away a large part of their backyards.

The picturesque waterfront yards were steadily eroded over the last two years, apparently destabilized in part by an overflowing storm drain, according to Township Administrator Richard Brook. The backyards collapsed on Monday.

Thomas Sahol, assistant administrator in the township, inspected the erosion Wednesday afternoon.

"Basically, we're here so that we can give these people some peace of mind today," Sahol said.

He said the families were urged not to take any chances by continuing to remain in their Front Street homes. They were allowed to go into the houses to gather belongings.

"We're devastated, we are totally devastated," said Lynne O'Dell, one of the residents.

She shuttled between her home and her SUV as she brought out bags of belongings.

Brook said that on Monday, the township was alerted to the landslide and found that water was spilling over from a storm drain leading from the front of the houses to the back.

The township did the best it could to block the flow of water into the pipe Monday, and the township and Burlington County are investigating to ensure residents' safety, Brook said. At this time, the ground at the site is considered unstable, he said.

The township does not know why the pipe malfunctioned, but Sahol said he plans to check what was happening underneath.

The township is asking Maser Consulting, an engineering firm, to determine the problem.

Sahol said only the two homes are considered unsafe, and houses on either side are considered to be on stable ground.

Al Harris, who has lived in Florence since 2002, said he was shocked about the landslide a few houses from his residence.

Harris' property also borders the Delaware, but is farther from the steep drop to the river than the affected houses.

Harris said he does not know those neighbors well, but feels sorry for their predicament.

"That's terrible," Harris said. "I hope they fix the problem, and they're able to come back."

Brook said the township will have to determine who is responsible for repairs to the riverbank.

"Sooner or later there's going to have to be some action taken to stabilize the bank," Brook said. "Who's going to do that at this time is unclear."

O'Dell said she wanted the township held accountable.

"We've put our hearts and souls into this home, and we're hoping someone is going to take responsibility, but they're not," she said.