Abandoned mine subsidence damages VFW, local homes

PITTSBURGH — An abandoned mine subsidence damaged a VFW and several homes in a Pittsburgh neighborhood.

“You can even see up on the roof that’s all cracking and coming down,” said Lance Pavasko.

Lance Pavasko pointed out the problems to the VFW off of Interboro Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood. Large cracks in the wall of the building are visible from the outside.

“We got tools from up the street and were able to get the door to pop open and that’s when we noticed inside that there was damage to the floorboards and then the cracks in these walls right here,” said Pavasko.

Last Wednesday, cracks also appeared in the foundation of at least seven homes. Channel 11′s Alyssa Raymond spoke with several people who live on this street on the phone. One homeowner told me that he’s looking at a cost of about $60-70,000 just to repair the foundation. Another homeowner said, “This is going to be absolutely devastating.”

On Facebook, State Rep. Nick Pisciottano posted a picture of activity on Interboro Avenue on Friday and wrote that his office was notified of land subsidence issues. He was out there along with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as well as People’s Gas, Duquesne Light and Pennsylvania American Water.

“It very well definitely could be a mine,” said Pavasko.

A spokesperson with the Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that an abandoned mine subsidence event occurred.

And also shared this additional information:

DEP issued an emergency contract solicitation, is currently receiving bids, and expects to award the contract in the next week with work beginning the week of November 6, 2023. The emergency stabilization project will involve drilling under ten structures and pumping a cement-like grout to stabilize the ground. DEP estimates the project will take 2-3 months to complete.

DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation addresses abandoned mine land (AML) problems. This may include taking on emergency projects to stabilize the ground in a particular area if subsidence has occurred. However, this program does not compensate property owners for structural damage caused by AML issues or AMD. Much like naturally occurring landslides, there is typically no viable responsible party to address mine subsidence from abandoned mines or compensate property owners. Please see the attached map. The shaded portion (grey and pink) represent areas that have been undermined.

To address the risk of damage to structures from abandoned mine subsidence, DEP offers Mine Subsidence Insurance. DEP encourages property owners to visit https://www.dep.pa.gov/msi to see if their property may have been undermined and explore low-cost coverage options to protect their structures. DEP offers Mine Subsidence Insurance to cover damage to homes or buildings and their appurtenances (appurtenances may be covered if associated with a damaged structure) that occurs during the policy period and which is caused by the movement of the ground surface as a result of the collapse of underground coal or clay mine workings, or from a sudden unexpected breakout of water from an abandoned mine. This type of coverage is typically not offered through a homeowner’s insurance policy. DEP recommends that homeowners obtain mine subsidence insurance coverage at 20% greater than the replacement value of the home. Coverage on a $100k home would be less than $30 per year with 10% off for seniors. A $1 million home would only cost a little over $250 per year to insure. Some property owners had MSI policies and DEP has canvased the area to make sure residents are aware of the mine subsidence risk and the insurance program.

It is our understanding from speaking with residents that the event began on Wednesday but was not reported until Friday. DEP encourages the public to report abandoned mine land emergencies (https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Land/Mining/AbandonedMineReclamation/Pages/ReportanAMLEmergency.aspx) or any other environmental concern (https://www.dep.pa.gov/About/ReportanIncident/Pages/default.aspx). People can contact DEP at no cost by calling 866-255-5158 or submit a complaint via DEP’s website, http://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/SouthwestRegion/Pages/Environmental-Complaints.aspx. The public is an important partner in DEP’s work, and we urge residents to notify us and work with us. It is helpful if reports of emergencies and complaints are made in a timely manner and include a description the environmental concern in detail with a date, time, location, and visual observation (including photos or videos). DEP reviews and responds to every complaint that we receive.

DEP staff is expected to attend a meeting about this situation on Wednesday November 1 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Place Presbyterian Church.

A spokesperson with People’s Gas says it’s keeping an eye on the situation and having crews stop by the neighborhood at least every other day. Gas service is currently shutoff to the VFW and one other home.

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