Fogo Street residents evacuated from the neighbourhood after a mine subsidence caused the ground to sink several inches at the weekend will be forced to spend another night away from home, as the emergency response continues at Wallsend.
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Police have taken the lead on a joint operational response that now includes at least two sinkholes in the suburb, after a second opened under a home on Platt Street on Monday, and said in a brief statement that 17 residents of the 40 who were initially evacuated from Fogo Street on Saturday were still displaced on Tuesday.
The state's Mine Subsidence Advisory has been supporting the multi-agency response and confirmed that it was aware of both the Fogo and Platt street sinkholes, in addition to its ongoing remedial work on a third subsidence beneath the Uniting Kombahla aged care facility.
The authority was made aware of the subsidence there in July, a spokesman said in a statement Tuesday, and began remediation work last year, which was ongoing this week.
"Investigations into further remediation work is ongoing and no additional damage has been reported," the spokesman said.
Questions were put to police Tuesday regarding the ongoing emergency operation on Fogo Street, who confirmed 17 residents were still unable to return home, but no further information was available.
Emergency services briefed Wallsend MP Sonia Honery, who was returned to office in Saturday's NSW election with an increased margin, and said she was pleased with the response.
"Both parties coordinating the response assure me they are diligently working through any safety concerns and remediation efforts and ensuring that all households will be safe prior to anyone returning," she said in a statement.
The Wallsend Diggers Sport Club remains closed indefinitely after sustained the brunt of the damage caused by the subsidence. All three of the club's bowling greens have been impacted, and show sweeping depressions where the sub-surface earth has sunk.
"While I have not yet spoken to any representatives from Wallsend Diggers Sports Club, I am keen to maintain a dialogue with them to ensure we can get the best possible outcome for them too," Ms Hornery said.
Emergency services said Monday that the largest subsidence at Fogo Street, which was estimated at the weekend to be impacting roughly 100 square metres of the neighbourhood, had shown signs of settling.
Water was returned to the street on Monday after utilities were cut as a precaution on Saturday, and police expected other services to be reconnected as residents were allowed to return.
Simon McCarthy
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
