New York: gant sinkholes causing problem in Queens

November 23, 2012 - UNITED STATES - First they were flooded by Hurricane Sandy and now they're being swallowed by sinkholes. Some of the sinkholes are 10 feet deep in Queens. Residents are worried about further damage to their homes and whether the ground their standing on could literally cave and crumble. Sinkholes have opened up the earth spreading concern that this is the next potential danger New Yorkers like them are facing three weeks after the storm. "All these backyards almost in the same line, they all got the holes. All the way to the street," said Adolfo Richter, a resident. They say the sinkholes started to appear shortly after the storm. Most of the residents evacuated and returned not only to a lot of water in their homes, but to damage in the yards as well. Sinkhole after sink hole popped up and no one knew why. But Taika Miles knows better than to let her children anywhere near the sinkholes. "I'm concerned for my children. They're not allowed to go back there," Miles said. Officials with the Department of Environmental Protection have checked out the sinkholes. They say they believe it has something to do with a sewer line that runs under the backyards. Good to know, but now what residents like Adolfo Richter are worried about the condition of their homes. - ABC 7.