Mobile, Alabama — Residents of the Wynnfield neighborhood in west Mobile are fed up after years of battling rainwater runoff, erosion, and persistent flooding that have left their streets and yards in disarray. The problems reached a breaking point recently when a large sinkhole suddenly opened in the middle of one of the neighborhood’s main roads, creating a serious safety hazard for drivers and pedestrians alike.
Neighbors say the hole appeared after a series of heavy rains, exposing what they describe as long-standing drainage issues that the city has failed to adequately address. For days, residents were forced to steer around the gaping hole, which continued to grow larger as rainwater washed away the surrounding pavement.
“It was dangerous — anyone could have gotten hurt,” said one Wynnfield homeowner, who asked not to be named. “We kept reporting it, but nothing was done.”
It wasn’t until a frustrated resident reached out to a local TV station to report the problem that crews finally arrived to make repairs. The media attention appeared to spur action, and within days, city workers patched the hole and reopened the road.
However, not everyone was satisfied with the repair work. Another resident posted a video online showing what they called “shoddy and temporary” work, pointing out uneven pavement and drainage problems that still remain. The video quickly gained traction among locals, drawing renewed attention to the neighborhood’s ongoing infrastructure challenges.
Wynnfield residents say they’ve been dealing with flooding and erosion issues for years, with some properties losing portions of their yards to stormwater runoff. They’re now calling for a long-term fix — not just for the sinkhole, but for the entire drainage system that they say has been neglected.
“We just want to feel safe and know that when it rains, our streets won’t collapse,” one resident said. “It shouldn’t take a TV station to get something done.”