BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — The earth is moving in Barboursville behind the Target store causing the back corner of the big store to slip–nearly separating it from the rest of the building.
Target closed the store more than a week ago when the slippage was first noticed.
Barboursville Mayor Chris Tatum said the hillside behind the store is what is moving. A service road behind the store has dropped several feet. A corner of the store separated some time Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Photos of the damage have created quite a stir on the internet.
“Anybody is going to look at that and get the wow-factor out of that,” Tatum said. “The comfort comes that their trying to do things as safely as possible. It’s not just about getting them back open.”
Tatum said it’s a team effort.
“Everybody is working in the same direction,” Tatum told MetroNews Wednesday afternoon. “I think the growth of the problem has been a little bit surprising to everybody.”
Tatum said Target and its engineering crew have been proactive. The company has also alerted a handful of homeowners in a subdivision at the bottom of the hill of the problem and urged them to evacuate. Tatum said Target has promised to take care of expenses.
“They’ve been very open and communicative with those residents,” Tatum said.
Tatum said he and others want to see Target reopen as soon as possible but that’s not the top priority.
“Target and their engineers and their construction crews are all trying to determine what the best course of action is to keep people safe and that’s the most important thing to everyone,” Tatum said.