Northside Jacksonville homeowners worried about backyard sinking into retention pond from landslide

Some backyards in the Timber Oaks subdivision appear to be sinking into a retention pond.

Herbert Donaldson and his wife Letitia Jamison have lived here for more than 18 years, and they said they’ve never seen anything like this.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

“I let the dog out in the backyard, and I was like ‘Woah, where the dog went?’ and I look outside and I’m like, ‘woah,’” Donaldson said.

They thought it was a sinkhole, but a geologist told Action News Jax’s Annette Gutierrez, it’s a landslide.

Gutierrez measured it, and the first slope is more than two feet deep, but there are about two more slides below that. And it’s dangerously close to property – only a foot away from a nearby fence, and about 12 feet from their property.

Read: Baptist Health sources: Florida Blue deal in jeopardy by Mayor’s office ‘abuse of power’

Jamison said she is worried the soil will continue to sink and pull their home down with it.

“My concern is for the safety of my family,” Jamison said. “What started to be as one or two feet is now approximately 6 feet deep and it’s coming closer to our home.”

About two weeks ago, their property only appeared to have slight indentions to the grass, but it’s gotten to a point, where even Jamison’s lawnmower, Chris Thrash, said he’s noticed it getting worse.

Read: Traffic signal to be installed at Clay County intersection after multiple deadly crashes

“I wouldn’t sleep in this house at night,” Thrash said. “It fell twice as much in 10 days. And it’s already got a new line where the crack next is going to show its face. And it’s six feet away from his house where it’s going to fall in.”

It’s a slippery slope. Professional Geologist David Wilshaw said this landslide could pose a threat to the nearby homes.

“Eventually, if that support starts to get removed from the foundation, as it keeps moving closer to it, then we start to see some movement of the foundation, so it will eventually start causing some cracking in the super structure,” Wilshaw said.

Read: Police release body camera footage from Tyreek Hill’s detainment ahead of Dolphins’ season opener

He said the landslide appears to have begun at the bottom of the slope and worked its way up.

Wilshaw said the increased rainfall or the high pressure of water draining into the pond could be contributing factors to the cause of the landslide.

“If we have more rain, that kind of lubricates matters,” Wilshaw said. “They can make the soil feel wet and heavy, so it moves faster. And now it has these cracks in the slope.”

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Our First Alert Weather Team said most areas have received more than their average rainfall for all of September and we’re only 9 days in. The team said this area has already received up to nine inches of rain since last Tuesday, and there could be up to six inches of rain on the way this week.

Wilshaw said the landslide won’t stop until it flattens out or reaches a stable angle. So, a geotechnical engineer needs to try and stabilize it.

“It may need a seawall or a sheet pile steel wall at the toe to stop it from moving any further,” Wilshaw said.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Jamison said she reached out to her Homeowners Association and hasn’t gotten any help yet.

“The last conversation I had with them, they were reaching out to their attorney and to see if it was their responsibility or our responsibility,” Jamison said.

Right now, Jamison and Donaldson just want to get help – to either move or to get a permanent solution.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.