The Florida Geological Survey is building a map to show the risk of sinkholes around the state. The project is the result of what happened last year after Tropical Storm Debby.
Florida was enduring an extended drought when Debby brought record-rainfall in June of 2012. All that water weighed down the soil and loosened the dry limestone and other porous rock underneath. The result was a lot of sinkholes.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency gave state geologists a million dollar grant to find Florida’s most vulnerable areas.Geologist Clint Kromhout says his work is a lot like a doctor.
"The doctor looks for a list of symptoms and the symptoms kind of point him towards one particular cold or another", Kromhout said. "Well, what symptoms here show the strongest correlation to a particular problem, and this problem in this case being a sinkhole formation.”
The project will take three years. When it’s over, emergency managers will be able to find ways to reduce the risk of property damage. The map will also help people decide where they want to live.