ALBERS, Ill. – Residents in Albers are raising concerns over buckling roads and cracks in house foundations.
Joseph Simburger, resident, said his home has new fractures and is making unusual sounds.
“I call it a pop; it sounded almost like a gunshot with no echo,” Simburger said. “I don’t know how to describe it, really.”
Outside his home, there is more damage to nearby driveways and a busy highway.
“People were damaging their cars, so IDOT came out and they worked through the night sanding the road down so it was passable again,” Steve Schomaker, mayor, said.
Mine subsidence is an ongoing issue in the town, according to Schomaker.
“We were told this morning they thought the mine sank between two and three feet and with that sinkage… there is about a dozen homes that were damaged,” he said.
Schomaker said the subsidence from the mines is a growing concern without a clear solution.
“It’s getting pretty frustrating. We have a very nice town, we have a very good school system,” he said. “We now have people who are scared and concerned about the future for Albers, Illinois.”
