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For more than a week, the road has been
sinking and shifting. The dirt beneath has washed away, exposing a gas
line.
"This whole bank is slipping and
eventually that will end up in the creek," said David Armstrong, Kanawha
County's Deputy Emergency Services Director. That creek runs alongside
Maria Pendleton's back yard. "The hill is sorta sliding down to my back
porch and trees trying to come with it and my creek's closing up and just
sort of shoving me out of my house," said Pendleton.
Because the road is privately owned, the
State Division of Highways is not required to fix it any problems.
With not much left underneath to support
this side of the road, there's a real concern about cars, trucks and
especially emergency vehicles traveling over top - particularly because
it's the only way in or out of the neighborhood.
"If you bring a 35-to-40,000-pound truck
over there, it's not going to hold up," said Tyler Mountain Fire Chief
David Martin.
Kanawha County officials have requested
emergency federal funding to repair the roadway- but as they wait for
word, residents here become more worried with each passing day. "I'm just
sitting here going what do I do? Wait for it to happen" said Pendleton.
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