The town of Daisetta, Texas is going under, literally: Part of the town is being swallowed up by a massive sinkhole.

While no injuries or home damage have been reported, the sinkhole which is at least 600 feet long and 200 feet deep engulfed oil field equipment, poles and some vehicles. Officials from the Texas Railroad Commission, Texas Natural Resource and Conservation, and Liberty County Office of Emergency Management, are continuing to monitor the situation.

The sinkhole may be a result of the community’s oil town history. Officials said a collapse of an old salt dome where oil brine and natural gas are stored underground may be to blame. Although sinkholes of this nature are incredibly rare, experts say that smaller versions can be common and it is important to handle the situation the right way.

According to Mike Mosher, co-founder of Sinkhole.org, there is almost no way to protect yourself from the rare, catastrophic sink holes. “You just have to get out of its way. There is nothing else that you can do.” But, when dealing with the more common and much smaller sink holes people can monitor and control the situation with simple observation.

“When you see one starting, you can spray orange spray paint around the edge to see if it is widening. You can also put a stick in the center to see if it is dropping.”

Generally sinkholes are caused by erosion, leaking irrigation, a drop in the water table or heavy rains. Mosher says that to fix the gaps that they create, people can fill in “trash-can sized” one or smaller with dirt alone and larger ones with rocks first and then dirt. He says, “After two or three times [of filling with dirt and/or rock] it shouldn’t come back. If it does there is a more serious problem and you will want to consult a geo-technical engineer.”And, Stuart Lieberman, an environmental attorney in New Jersey, says that although these more serious sinkholes wreak cause millions of dollars in damage each year, many homeowners insurance policies exclude sinkholes from their claims. (However, any cars damaged by one of these phenomenons would be covered under auto insurance.)

Currently, Tennessee and Florida are the only states where homeowners insurance covers damage caused by sinkholes. However, states like Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, and Maryland offer mine-subsidence coverage. Homeowners in the remaining 44 states should consider purchasing sinkhole or ground collapse coverage in addition to their existing policies if they believe that their property is at risk of being affected by a sink hole.

However, beyond purchasing a homeowners insurance policy and rider that covers sink holes, people may want to have their property checked before they go ahead with purchasing a new home. This is especially important if the house is anywhere near a drilling site, mining site or major construction area.

Lieberman says, “You should have a professional ensure that your subsurface is in good shape. You do not want to build without ensuring that the surface will remain intact, and will not collapse into a sinkhole. A professional can perform ground penetrating tests to ensure that you will be okay.”

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