LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP - Churned up dirt and busted roadway made Township Road 112 (Bald Knob-Dog Fork Road) look like it was hit by an earthquake.

Even though it was flooding rather than a tremor, Mother Nature was responsible for the road slip that basically cut off the mile-long township road, forcing a few residents to take a detour.

Seven houses are on the road, but no one is trapped in because the residents can drive out to County Road 6 or State Route 141, depending on which side of the slip they live on, said Township Trustee Jon Collier.

"It began happening last week or a week-and-a-half (ago)," Collier said. "I guess it just dropped last night."

Margie Waddell and John Fields live on top of the hill in the closest home to the slip. Though they usually drive toward 141, it will now take them more than 10 minutes to get to their mail because their box is on the other side of the slip on County Road 6 (Deering Bald-Knob Road).

"We have a great view, we are out in the country. It is a great spot, but there are all kinds of issues with this road," Waddell said.

Trustee Alvin Harper Jr. agreed that there have been many reoccurring problems with the road.

"It has always been a problem. So much water comes down off those hills it really works on your roads," Harper said. "Plus, people throw so much trash in the ditches because there is not a lot of traffic out there to stop it."

The trustees had contractor Bob Hartwig do what he could earlier this week and also contacted the county engineer's office for help. Now that the road has slipped several feet they will need the engineer's office to place pilings on the low side of the road, he said.

Filling in the road itself will not take long after the pilings are in place, Collier said.

"We can't put weight on top of the slip and expect it to hold," he said. "We have to have something to hold it up."

Hecla Water spent Wednesday afternoon rerouting a water line that would have been damaged.

Another spot on the road has also started to slide. Hartwig was on site Wednesday trying to do some preventative maintenance, Collier said.