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UPDATE April 9, 7:56am: Benld is providing donuts, coffee and water to area residents without power and any emergency personnel in the area around 9 a.m. at the Benld Civic Center. Volunteers will also be walking the mine subsidence area providing the same food items to crews on scene and residents in the area.
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UPDATE April 8, 9:36pm: Methane gas from the mine was discovered in the city’s sewer lines this afternoon, so Ameren turned off power around 4:30 p.m. for residents within the boundary of West Central, Dorsey, Route 4 and the railroad tracks as an extreme precaution.
The City of Benld opened the Benld Civic Center and served dinner to about 50 residents affected by the mine subsidence while power was reportedly still shut off at 9:30 p.m. Authorities are still monitoring the methane gas situation and attempting to remove the gas from the lines using a “negative pressure machine”.
(Ameren warning area residents of the outage through a Facebook advertisement.)
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BENLD – More issues with mine subsidence in Benld has forced the closure of two city streets Wednesday morning, April 8, while investigators determine the extent of damage subsidence caused to houses, city infrastructure and roadways. Authorities said they may have to vacate the houses in the area.
After mine subsidence ruined the Benld Elementary School in 2009, home owners approximately 1000 feet away from the school site were woken up this morning around 4 o’clock by the sound of their basement walls cracking.
Damage affected more than ten houses in the area of Dorsey Avenue, South Kentucky Street, South Illinois Street and Hickory Street with home owners reporting large cracks in their basement walls, garage floors and yard areas. A large open lot in the neighborhood, which neighbors said used to be flat, was sunk in Wednesday morning.
“The cop woke me up about 6:10 and told me I might want to move my car and truck,” Jim Matesa told us. “I have about an inch wide crack through my garage floor. The dirt is pulled away from my garage wall about [five inches].”
There’s major damage and it seems to be in a two block area, but it is still sinking and it is still moving out.
Matesa, who hasn’t discovered damage inside his house yet, explained investigators had to break open the front door of his neighbor’s house on Dorsey to check on the owners. “They say some doors on other houses won’t open,” Matesa added. “Gloria’s basement walls are cracked and the floor is buckled. Some basement supports for houses on Hickory aren’t even touching the floor.”
A large buckle in the road on Dorsey Avenue stands nearly 12” high and stretches across the width of road while small cracks are spread throughout South Illinois Street and Dorsey Avenue. City maintenance workers were on hand Wednesday morning to monitor the city water main and lift station.
Maintenance Supervisor Jim Savant said he was on-site this morning at 4:30 barricading the damage, but subsidence has continued since then. “It’s terrible,” Savant added.
Mayor Gloria Sidar explained the city has contacted the Department of Mining and the Department of Natural Resources. Both departments are sending investigators, according to Mayor Sidar. In addition, the Macoupin County emergency crew was on-scene Wednesday morning along with insurance agents, Benld Fire Chief Anthony Kravanya and Ameren employees.
“I’ve already contacted the insurance companies to contact mine subsidence organizations to get a case number,” Mayor Sidar explained. “A case number has already been assigned and the county has already sent an assessor down to assess properties. There’s major damage and it seems to be in a two block area, but it is still sinking and it is still moving out.”
The city is doing everything they can right now, according to Mayor Sidar. Besides the major structural damage to her own house, Sidar was very worried about the city’s lift station that is located near the subsidence damage. “It’s one of our major lift stations.”
It is unclear which mine subsided, but there is no active mining in the Benld area.
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