Bayou Corne Sinkhole Then and Now: Louisiana’s Environmental Disaster Explained

(Bayou Corne, Louisiana) - August 3, 2012 started off like any other day. That is, until the earth opened up. What started off as an observation of bubbles turned into something more sinister. The quiet swamp suddenly turned terrifying as trees began quickly sinking into the water. Something went wrong, and man was to blame. According to NOLA.com, A series of lawsuits by Texas Brine claimed that Occidental Petroleum accidentally drilled into a salt dome while searching for oil. In the end, three companies were found liable including both Texas Brine and Occidental Petroleum as well as a third company, Vulcan. Lawsuits continue, as well as monitoring of the site for further development. Videos captured some of the astonishing footage of the events as they unfolded.

Prior to the events of August 3rd, the area had a much different appearance.

Nothing to see here but your average area of Louisiana swampland. Fast-forward one year later in 2013, and satellite images tell a different story.

You can clearly see the darkened area that marks the top of the sinkhole. As a result of the catastrophe, residents near the sinkhole had to leave, reducing the population from 350 residents in 2012 to 32 by 2020, according to a story from 64 Parishes.

According to Wikipedia, the sinkhole has now expanded to over 35 acres. You can see the growth over the past 12 years, thanks to Google Earth imaging and historical archives.

Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities as a result of the collapse, but there have been damages to both the environment as well as the mental health of the community nearby. According to PlacesJournal.org, residents of the area saw the signs in neighboring communities but authorities hadn't paid attention. Once such sign was an event nearby in Grand Bayou when another salt cavern was ruptured by a drill.

Hopefully companies are taking a hard look at how their operations affect the environment so Louisiana (and other areas) can avoid environmental tragedies like this in the future.