A Target store in Virginia was shut down due to a landslip, causing structural issues. It has now partially collapsed, and the damage is being demolished.
Target Store Closed Due To Collapse
A Target store in Barboursville, West Virginia, built near a hillside, began collapsing last Friday causing it to close for the last two weeks. Nearby homeowners have been instructed to evacuate voluntarily.
The Target store suffered its first slip on Feb. 1, caused by heavy rain and snow, and required crews to repair ruptured water and sewer lines.
Although the store reopened the following day, the ground settled again, causing even further damage.
The damage has been described as the walls “crumbling away” and the building “sliding down a hill” in videos. Target has sent bulldozers to the store to break down the part of the building that snapped in half.
Images of the collapse show a huge crack going from the top to the bottom on the right side of the store, with that half drooping down.
Target said: “We will be removing a damaged portion of the store and taking additional steps to prepare for construction in the coming months. We continue to closely assess the condition of the site and partner with local officials to secure the area and repair the store as safely as possible.”
The mayor of Barboursville in West Virginia, Chris Tatum, told WSAZ that this Target holds an important role for the people of the town.
In the days following the Target store’s closing, reporters uncovered court documents that outlined a potential landslip as far back as 2001 over a landslide, sloughing, land movement, and settling that had damaged the property where the store is now.
Barboursville is a town of around 4,500 people located about 45 miles west of Charleston.
