let's show you what it looked like from above the scene right now in clermont, florida, where a massive sinkhole opened up changing much of the resort structure. more than 100 people were forced to evacuate. some under harrowing conditions, remarkably no one was killed. nbc's kerry sanders is there with late details. kerry, i assume you're on firm ground right now, but how big a danger area at risk is there? >> reporter: well, good evening, lester. they've moved us back three city blocks fearing the sinkhole would continue to grow. the problem actually begins about 20 to 100 feet down where there's limestone. rainwater goes through the earth and hits that limestone, and it can cause it to dissolve. that is a recipe for disaster. >> we have a building that can potentially collapse. we don't know if it's a sinkhole or what. >> we need to know what room everybody was in. >> reporter: it was shortly after 3:00 in the morning, and maggie started her camera phone amid the chaos. she says it came without warning while on vacation with family and friends from virginia, she heard a single window

what it looks like from above the scene now in clermont, florida, where a massive sink hole opened up overnight chancing much of the resort structure. more than 100 people were forced to evacuate. some under harrowing conditions, remarkably no one was killed. nbc's kerry sanders is there with late details. kerry, i assume you're on firm ground right now, but how big a danger area at risk is there? >> reporter: well, good evening, lester. they've moved up three city blocks fearing the sinkhole would continue to grow. the problem actually begins about 20 to 100 feet down where there's limestone. rainwater goes through the earth and hit that limestone and it can cause it to dissolve. that is a recipe for disaster. >> we need to know what room everybody was in. >> reporter: shortly after 3:00 in the morning, maggie started her camera during the chaos. she says it came without warning while on vacation with family and friends from virginia, she heard a single window pop its frame, then another and another. at first she thought it was someone in a fight. >> glass flying. people jumping out

cnn's martin savage is live in clermont, florida, with the latest. good morning, martin. >> reporter: good morning, chris. yeah, we expect to get an update from official on just how it all happened. in the meantime, from the whnss who heard the screams and shouts, they thought it was a movie. oh, no, it was all too real. a dramatic moment caught on tape. as a condominium at the summer bay resort collapsed into a sinkhole. not long before it had been packed with vacationers. ben warwick of des moines, iowa, started rolling at the right time. >> i turned to film the guys talking to the fire department. i heard a crack and i quickly switched over and the roof came down. >> reporter: for more than 100 guests here to see the land of the magic kingdom, suddenly they were gripped in terror in the middle of the night. >> it was the most surreal experience. i never could imagine in my wildest dreams. >> reporter: those watching nearby couldn't believe their eyes. >> i thought it was crazy. how is that happening? >> reporter: miraculously no one was killed, no

kerry sanders, innocennbc news, clermont, florida. >>> plans to open the eastern span of the bay bridge on labor day are getting a boost. federal officials now signed off on a temporary fix for cracked seismic safety bolts on that span allowing possibly for the labor day opening. federal highway administration official says he sees no ran to delay opening the bridge, the traffic while the permanent fix is completed, the temporary fix involves installing steel plates into the area of those broken bolts to help prevent movement during a possible earthquake. there has been talk of delaying that opening until december when the completed -- the fix is actually completed. >>> meantime, lights on that new eastern span will be turned on tonight for yours and my viewing enjoyment. the lights being installed today on the roadway and the span's main suss steps cable. the lights will gone tonight after 8 p.m. >>> a bay area transportation leader is giving the thumbs up to elon musk's idea of a high-speed pod that will get you from san francisco to los angeles in just 30 minutes. ron deer done, who

steve osunsami, abc news, clermont, florida. >>> a major legal battle -- victory for embattled southern chef paula deen. a federal judge has thrown out a racist discrimination suit brought to deen by a restaurant manager. she claimed she suffered from sexual harassment and talk that were unfair to black workers during her five years in employment. it was during a deposition in the case that deen admitted she had used racial slurs in the past. deen's spokesperson says in part, she is confident that those who truly know how she lives her life know that she believes in equal opportunity, kindness and fairness for everyone. >>> well, we now know the identity of the priest who witnessed a crime scene and then disappeared from that crime scene. it was an accident involving a car in missouri. this happened a week ago sunday. the priest happened upon this accident as he was driving between mass assignments. father patrick dowling said he was performing the normal duties of a priest. >> everybody there was praying. the rescue workers were people of faith and prayer. they were all praying. i had

residents of summer bay condo resort in clermont, florida were forced to escape their homes after a sinkhole cut the property in two. 20 guests were at the property.no one was injured but some lost all of their belongings.engineers are still determining the cause and the extent of the damage. the power of the pen is proving profitable...topping the list is e.l james -- the author of the wildly popular shades of grey trilogy earned 95 million. shades of green--- a movie is expected next august. best selling novelist james patterson lands at number two -- with 91 million. and rounding out the top three -- suzanne collins -- the woman behind the hunger games, with 55 million. apparently there's an upturn in money in changing diapers...babysitters are making $12 an hour on average. and according to the boston globe, those wages are rising at a rate, nine-times times faster than inflation.baby sitting wages now top those of fast food workers, health care aids and retail sales clerks. still to come: fast track. tesla ceo's plan to zip you across the nation in 45 minutes... plus, there's a price br

---el socavon ocurrio en la madrugada de hoy lunes en el " summer bay resort" de la poblacion de clermontexpertos aun no determinan si es seguro habilitar el resto de los edificios y si es posible rescartar algunos objetos personales del edificio derrumbado. stop open ===roll ticker=== cesar ---tiempo de la primera pausa , pero mas adelante... take vo cesar ---surgen mas detalles sobre el rapto de una adolescente de san diego... take vo cesar ---la corte de suprema de california emite un fallo que podria salvar muchas vidas.. cesar ---la adolescente que permanecio retenida por un sujeto por una semana finalmente se reunio con su padre luego de haber sido liberada por las autoridades... take vo ---algunos familiares de "hanna anderson" dijeron que aun no saben cuando la jovencita volvera junto con su padre al sur de california... ---la adolescente perdio a su madre y hermano menor tras ser raptada por "jim dimaggio" el domingo antepasado y quien segun las autoridades fue ultimado por la policia durante el rescate de hannah... ---el rescate ocurrio el sabado en una zona montaÑosa de idaho.

summer bay resort, about ten miles west of disney world in clermont, florida caused it to collapse. another section of the building is also sinking. the building was evacuated after guests heard popping noises and windows began breaking. no injuries reported. >>> attorney general eric holder set to be in san francisco this morning, expected to announce major changes to the criminal justice system. holder speakingali at the ameri bar association's meeting. nbc bay area has a preview of its speech, which will feature scaling back harsh prison sentences for some drug-related crimes. it will also release some elderly non-violent offenders. he says the u.s. can't incarcerate or prosecute our way to becoming a safer nation. coming up at 5:00 this morning, bob redell will have more details on the attorney general's plan. >>> also attending today's conference, former secretary of state hillary clinton. she's the guest of honor where the aba will be recognizing her for her legal career and helping in advancing women lawyers. clinton worked in private practice in arkansas and graduated from y

steve osunsami, abc news, clermont, florida. >>> a major legal battle -- victory for embattled southern chef paula deen. a federal judge has thrown out a racist discrimination suit brought to deen by a restaurant manager. she claimed she suffered from sexual harassment and talk that were unfair to black workers during her five years in employment. it was during a deposition in the case that deen admitted she had used racial slurs in the past. deen's spokesperson says in part, she is confident that those who truly know how she lives her life know that she believes in equal opportunity, kindness and fairness for everyone. >>> well, we now know the identity of the priest who witnessed a crime scene and then disappeared from that crime scene. it was an accident involving a car in missouri. this happened a week ago sunday. the priest happened upon this accident as he was driving between mass assignments. father patrick dowling said he was performing the normal duties of a priest. >> everybody there was praying. the rescue workers were people of faith and prayer. they were all praying. i had

steve osunsami, from clermont, florida, abc news. >>> and tonight, for the first time a father is speaking out about a man he thought was his friend. but that friend kidnapped his daughter and took her to the remote idaho mountains. also accused of murdering other members of the family. abc's ryan owens on what this father said tonight. >> reporter: hannah anderson is finally back home in southern california tonight, after a harrowing week that ended with fbi agents shooting her accused kidnapper in the idaho backwoods. >> as for my daughter, the healing process will be slow. she has been through a tremendous, horrific ordeal. >> reporter: the 16-year-old found out the father is her only other member of her immediate family still alive. the sheriff says the teen had no idea the man accused of kidnapping her a week ago, 40-year-old james dimaggio, allegedly killed her mother and brother. their bodies found in their burning home. >> she was a victim in this case. she was not a willing participant. she was under extreme duress. >> reporter: tonight authorities reveal dimaggio shot at them bef

inspectors are still trying to figure out how much damage was done at the summer bay resort in clermontorlando. more than 100 guests were evacuated. no one was hurt. the resort says there were no signs that a sinkhole was developing. >>> sketches show james "whitey" bulger convicted in boston today guilty in a string of 11 killings and other crimes. he says he will appeal claiming a now dead federal prosecutor had given him immunity. bulger spent 16 years on the run before he was captured down in santa monica in 2011. the 83-year-old faces life in prison when he is sentenced in november. >>> an independent monitor will now oversee changes to the nypd's "stop & frisk" policy. a federal judge ruled today that four men were unfairly targeted by new york city police because of race. new york city mayor michael bloomberg defends the policy saying police feed to do their jobs without being micro- manage. he says the program has reduced crime without targeting a specific race. . >> people in the bay area have mixed feelings about the policy. some san francisco police say it would work. it's al

abc news, clermont, florida. >>> and next tonight, we have a headline for everyone who's had enough with the airlines, the high prices and fees on just about everything right down to the pretzels. the government will try to block the merger of american airlines and u.s. airways because it would hit the customers harder. david curley has that story. >> reporter: fliers already feel the frustration, the squeeze in the cabin, more seats in packed planes, and all those fees, a bag, 25 bucks, more leg room, $45, even a snack, 3-8 bucks. >> the baggage is a pain in the rear end. >> reporter: but tonight the u.s. government says, this is a quote, the consumers will get the shaft if american airlines is allowed to merge with u.s. airways. >> i wouldn't be surprised if prices go up. >> reporter: so you kind of agree with the government's case that less competition means higher fares? >> that's the general economics rules, as an economics majors, yes, i agree that means higher prices. >> reporter: they are suing to stop the deal before it gets off the ground saying fares will increase. here's what

here in clermont, florida, 15 hours later, survivors are still anxious. >> i'm still in shock and just very, very thankful. >> reporter: lester, the sinkhole right now is about 100 feet wide about 15 feet deep they guess as looking down there. the likelihood of something like this is being struck by lightning, which, as we know, can also happen. >> we've seen them before, kery. sounds like a bit of a guessy game. what can home owners do or know ob going into a neighborhood that's at risk? >> reporter: get a geological survey too look down there. a situation that's constantly changing depending on the rain situation. even the bubbles don't necessarily tell thru is going to be a catastrophic collapse. one thing everybody needs, sinkhole insurance. >> kerry sanders, yes. >>> and one of america's most wanted, mob boss james "whitey" bulger has been convicted of being involved in a string of murders and other crimes after a trial that riveted the city of boston and much of the nation. nbc's kristen dahlgren is at the federal courthouse. good evening. >> reporter: pg good evening, lester. ye

kerry sanders, nbc news, clermont, florida. >>> meanwhile, in western illinois, the fire chief says it sounded like the roar of a jet engine when a fuel pipeline exploded beneath a corn field, shooting flames high into the sky and carving a 15 foot crater into the earth. the flames could be seen for miles around. dozens of people were evacuated from their homes, but fire crews were able to get this accident under control. thankfully no one was injured. >>> in atlanta tonight, police say the death of a man who fell 85 feet from the upper level of a baseball stadium appears to be a terrible accident. police say 30-year-old ronald homer fell over a railing to the parking lot below at turner field during an atlanta braves game. another fan was killed back in 2008 when he fell at the stadium. >>> north carolina tonight is the newest battleground and a big fight over access to the voting booth. the governor there has signed one of the nation's toughest laws that supporters say is intended to cut down on voter fraud. opponents say it's designed to make it harder for certain people to vote. we

that happened about 9 miles west of walt disney world in nearby clermont. >> there was very little warningwhen a huge sinkhole opened out and damaged one of the buildings here. they started hearing popping sounds and one of the buildings yesterday, but had no idea what was going on. by midnight, cracking sounds and windows breaking, and then the building started to sink. >> our floor is 50 feet underground. the whole side of the building where we stayed is gone. >> it is not the way these guests wanted to spend what is supposed to be an enjoyable vacation in florida near disney world. >> nobody would want that. >> an aerial video shows the partially opened sinkhole that is 40 feet wide and 20 feet deep. as soon as they figured out what was happening, a security guard, got the guest out. if he had not acted on his own to do what needed to be done, we are confident he saved lives. >> i went from 4 to 4 and knocked on the rooms and got people out, after which * -- after which time, the building did start to sink. there's not much left of it. >> fortunately, none of the guests staying in this

reporter evan lambert of our orlando affiliate wkmg is in clermont, florida. >> reporter: outside the summer bay resort about ten miles from disney world, where a sinkhole has caused a partial collapse of one of the buildings here. it is a three-story unit. the best pictures are from the sky. you can see that half of that building is falling into the sinkhole. right now crews are trying to make sure it will not spread. there were no injuries in all of this. they did evacuate everyone safely early this morning. even some of the surrounding buildings have been evacuated. managers here are trying to make sure everyone is accommodated. they're trying to make sure this sinkhole doesn't spread. for "cbs this morning," evan lambert in florida. >>> today, attorney general holder plans to call for major changes in the nation's criminal justice system including scaling back harsh sentences from drug crimes. jan crawford is with us in the studio. >> reporter: good morning. this is just such a significant story. developing really overnight. the attorney general is wanting to basically cut the tim

look at that as dawn has broken in clermont. the sinkhole may be growing deeper. so far, it was not appear to be growing wider, which is helping crews as they try to stabilize the area. we'll have updates throughout the morning. >>> we're expecting a major announcement today from attorney general eric holer. he wants to change how some nonviolent low-level drug offenders are prosecuted. the goal is to ease prison overcrowding, save pun, and correct what holder calls unfairness in the system. he's revealing his plan today in san francisco. >>> and asiana airlines is offering $10,000 to each survivor of the crash last month. accepting the payout will not prevept passengers from suing the company. >>> in virginia, glare from the sun blamed for what you see here. massive pileup. 41 cars and trucks smashing into each other on i-81. cars ended up on top of each other. but no major injuries were reported. >>> and a narrow escape caught on camera here. a car careening into a parking lot in california, nearly plowing down the three men there. the car going about 60 miles a

clermont area where vacationers are having big problems at a resort.evacuated this morning after a sinkhole cracked the foundation of the villa where they were staying. the section of that villa partially collapsed early this morning. another section is now sinking. two nearby villas have also been evacuated as a precaution. we'll monitor this story and bring you updates once they become available. >> we've got good news this morning for drivers. gas prices, they are down compared to last week. >> we love to hear that. we could actually see them drop even more as we head into the fall months. >> good news for summer travelers. gas prices are coming down. the national average for a gallon dropped to $3.56, that's down a nickel from last week. >> never penny counts, it goes town your budget. >> this is just the beginning. by autumn, after the peak summer driving season, it could drive down to $3.40. >> it would be a great thing for me. i'll come into the city more often with my car. >> after three straight years of rising prices the gas average for next

a sinkhole caused a three-story villa at the summer bay represent resort at clermont to collapse. two other villas were also evacuated. >> one person had to break out of the window because the door frame collapsed on him and his wife and infant. he had to break the window so they could escape. >> officials say the hole is 40 to 50 feet in diameter and getting deeper. no injuries reported, though. >> new this morning, investigators rule a maryland woman's death a homicide. the body of 32-year-old moneta strickland was found along three notch trail in mechanicsville. investigators have not said how she died but an autopsy ruled the manner of death a mom. according to her website, strickland was engaged to be married next month. >> the fbi announced an arrest connected to the disappearance of 17-year-old alexis murphy. she disappeared august 3rd on a drive to lynchburg. her car was found in charlottesville later and surveillance pictures show murphy at a gas station not far from home. the fbi did not release many details about this arrest but we could learn more later today. >> and w

in clermont. all of the guests were safely evacuated. they examined the sinkhole and believe there is no reason to believe it will grow. >>> operations are back to norlallal the whole foods market at california and franklin streets in san francisco after a gas leak caused an evacuation today. it happened at 2:00 p.m. gas leaked from a refrigerator. firecrews capped the leak. at least one person was evaluated at the scene and nobody was taken to the hospital. >>> 16 people who work for ocean county in new jersey are splitting part of the $448 million powerball jackpot. the vehicle maintenance department workers are calling themselves ocean 16. they claimed their prize with each worker get 3.8 million. some of the winners were victims of super storm sandy. one lost a home she was renting. >> the first thing i am going to do is find me and my daughter a home and bring my dog back home. >> three tickets matched all six numbers, a man from minnesota claimed one. a another ticket has none -- another ticket has not been claimed. >>> a lucky pup

cnn's martin savidge is in clermont with more. good morning, martin. >> reporter: good morning, carol. you really ought to be here, it's only when you're right up near the building when you realize how remarkable, even miraculous that this wasn't a tragedy. it's certainly a disaster, don't get me wrong, but not a tragedy, because everybody inside of that condominium complex were able to get out in time. when you look at the devastation behind us, that's building 104, it was 10:30, 11:00 sunday night when they began to hear a popping and cracking noise and the windows began blowing out in sequence, then you mention the security guard. what an amazing story he is, because he'd been two months on the job, only five minutes working that night, when he has someone running up to him saying there's a problem inside. when he went inside that building, he didn't know really what was going on, but he went door-to-door to get everybody out. take a listen. >> one lady had a child they couldn't get out of the room. they had to bust the window

in clermont. all of the guests were safely evacuated.ined the sinkhole and believe there is no reason to believe it will grow. >>> operations are back to norlallal the whole foods market at california and franklin streets in san francisco after a gas leak caused an evacuation today. it happened at 2:00 p.m. gas leaked from a refrigerator. firecrews capped the leak. at least one person was evaluated at the scene and nobody was taken to the hospital. >>> 16 people who work for ocean county in new jersey are splitting part of the $448 million powerball jackpot. the vehicle maintenance department workers are calling themselves ocean 16. they claimed their prize with each worker get 3.8 million. some of the winners were victims of super storm sandy. one lost a home she was renting. >> the first thing i am going to do is find me and my daughter a home and bring my dog back home. >> three tickets matched all six numbers, a man from minnesota claimed one. a another ticket has none -- another ticket has not been claimed. >>> a lucky pup owes his

a sinkhole opened up at summer bay resort in clermont.uties say the sinkhole cause add three-story villa to partially collapse early this morning. another section of the building is also sinking. the building is evacuated after guests heard popping noises and windows began breaking. >> we use a gee technological firm and do core drillings. these buildings are approximately 50 years old. >>> accusations of racism during the giant's game. the team says it's looking at surveillance video from yesterday's ball game. orioles center fielder adam jones says a fan threw a banana at him during the ninth inning. jones is african-american. the alleged incident came after he hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning. after the game he sounded off about it, tweeting about the incident saying, quote, i want to thank whatever expletive through that banana in my direction in cf in the last inning. way to show your class you expletive. >> the giants' senior vice president of ball park operations saying there were no in-house radio calls about t

there is plenty of growth out there for our friend down in clermont.ayes, jack daniels senior vp. thanks for coming in, john. appreciate. >> thank you, david. david: the dog days of summer are almost over. congress is about to return to work. talk about a mixed blessing but lawmakers already are on a collision course. what makes the slowdown, this one in particular different? what should investors and companies pay attention to? we'll tell you coming next. >>> the u.s. open, tennis championship hopes to ace it this year with a lot of companies dropping big bucks on sponsorship deals. cheryl casone talking business with a top sponsor live from the u.s. open coming up next. ♪ (announcer) scottrade knows our clients trade and invest their own way. with scottrade's smart text, i can quickly understand my charts, and spend more time trading. their quick trade bar lets my account follow me online so i can react in real-time. plus, my local scottrade office is there to help. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade.

this happened at the summer bay resort ten miles west of disneyworld at clermont. 30% of the three-story structure fell into the 50-foot- wide sinkhole. everyone was able to get out. but some are clearly rattled. >> it's the most surreal experience. i never could imagine it in my wildest dreams that this would be my 2013 vacation that i work 51 weeks for. >> witnesses say they could hear a cracking sound as the villa began sinking. another one is evacuated nearby as a precaution. >>> a water line erupted on valencia at 26th street in san francisco overnight. the water shot as high as five stories into the air. bill wright sent us this picture showing the geyser reached well above a three- story building. fire and public works departments shut the water off. >>> hannah anderson is safe with her father after an ordeal that went a week. the san diego county teen rescued in the idaho backcountry on saturday. law enforcement shot and killed this man james deimagine yot man suspected of kidnapping her, james dimaggio. a group of horseback riders saw them and thought something was strange. >> t

i'll have details on your drive into work in a few minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, resort in clermont has party collapsed... and another sen resort is sinki >>> a sinkhole in central florida, a villa at a resort has partially collapsed and another section is sinking now at the summer resort 10 miles west of disneyworld. 30% of the three-story structure fell into a 50-foot- wide hope. authorities aren't sure if the hole is growing outward but it is getting deeper. everybody got out but some struggled to get out. >> one person broke out a window because of the door frame collapsing because he and his wife and infant, he had to break the window so they could escape. then there were windows breaking everywhere. >> witnesses say they could hear a cracking sound as the villa began sinking. another one is evacuated nearby as a precaution. >>> a fast-moving mud slide in colorado. days later authorities are still looking for one missing person. witnesses say she disappeared while clinging to a tree as this muddy water tore through the area on friday night. one person died in the floods which destr

a 100-foot sinkhole swallowing up a building at a resort just outside of disney world in clermont, floridal talking more about making sure you're on safe ground in a moment, but first we start with diana olick with more on that huge sinkhole that ate that entire set of villas. diana. >> reporter: well, sue, it is certainly a wake-up call, not just for those who come to live here but for investors who are sinking money into large developments like this one that could in fact sink. that's just what summer bay resort is facing today. >> each of these buildings are in a homeowners association, as we have deeded owners. the homeowners association is elected by those owners, and they have more than adequate insurance to completely cover this entire loss. >> now, caldwell says do have insurance to cover this but florida law requires insurers to cover catastrophic ground cover collapse, but that's not all sinkhole damage. to get the catastrophic the building has to actually be condemned. in order to cover minor damage you have to add that to your homener's policy. claims submitted in florida falah

three-story building at the summer bay resort in clermont about ten miles west of disney world. witnesses say the vilding was making popping sounds and windows started to break as it started to break. the building is still sinking this morning. >>> back in the bay area, san jose police trying to figure out exactly what cause add deadly crash killing two teenage boys and injuring three others. we have video taken by somebody who lives in that area right after saturday night's crash. police now looking into weather drugs or alcohol may have been involved. that car was repeatedly speeding down chenoweth avenue east of snell when the driver lost control and slammed right into a tree. loved ones say 19-year-old fabian perez and 16-year-old sal fernandez both died in the crash. >> he was funny, always smiling, always joking with me, always a cheerful person, someone that you would want to be around. he was a wonderful person. and for this to happen, it's devastating for sglus police also tell us there were three other teenagers in that car. they all suffered critical injuries, but the

look at that as dawn has broken in clermont. the sinkhole may be growing deeper. so far, it was not appear to be growing wider, which is helping crews as they try to stabilize the area. we'll have updates throughout the morning. >>> we're expecting a major announcement today from attorney general eric holer. he wants to change how some nonviolent low-level drug offenders are prosecuted. the goal is to ease prison overcrowding, save pun, and correct what holder calls unfairness in the system. he's revealing his plan today in san francisco. >>> and asiana airlines is offering $10,000 to each survivor of the crash last month. accepting the payout will not prevept passengers from suing the company. >>> in virginia, glare from the sun blamed for what you see here. massive pileup. 41 cars and trucks smashing into each other on i-81. cars ended up on top of each other. but no major injuries were reported. >>> and a narrow escape caught on camera here. a car careening into a parking lot in california, nearly plowing down the three men there. the car going about 60 miles a

abc's steve osunsami has the latest on what caused the earth to open up in clermont, florida. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning, lara. this is as close as we can get to what's left of the villa. sinkholes are common in florida because much of the state sits on limestone. the water below eats at the stone. and heavy rain pushes into it. leaving you with this. here's video that explains why florida authorities are so worried. what was a perfectly normal vacation villa with two dozen units that are three floors high, all crumbling into a 100-foot sinkhole. this morning, florida inspectors and scientists are testing deep into the soil. families who were forced to evacuate sunday night from the buildings next door are waiting for the good word that they can return to their vacation rentals. >> we heard a big boom. and the bathtub lifted up and went down. >> reporter: in building 104, that now looks like it's circling a drain, dozens of families ran for their lives when the earth gave way and lost everything they had. >> as soon as the balconies were collapsing one on t

the summer bay resort in clermont, florida, is 10 minute drive from disney world. one couple and their infant escaped through a window after the door frame collapsed. a witness was taking a bath and suddenly if the tub started levitating, forcing her to run outside naked. the most important thing that all our guests, considering the magnitude of this sinkhole, are okay. we don't have no injuries at this point. >> reporter: take a look at this map of all reported sinkholes in the state of florida since the 1950s. it is all about the state's geology. florida sits on porous limestone, above massive aquifers. that creates caves, springs and sinkholes. five months ago a sinkhole swallowed 36-year-old jeffrey bush's bedroom near tampa. he, his bed and much of the bedroom disappeared from the rest of his house one night as he slept of the his body was never recovered. just last week the federal emergency management agency award ad one million dollar grant for a three-year study down here in florida to study the future potential risk of sinkholes. gregg? >> a lot of worrie

martin savidge, cnn, clermont, florida. >>> for this legal victory for the queen of southern cooking but not a total victory. a federal judge has dismissed the racial claims. the judge says the woman can't claim to be a victim of racial discrimination because she's white, but here's the but. other parts of the suit including sexual harassment and abusive treatment claims, they are still pending. you know the story. deen's career took a huge hit this summer after she admitted in deposition once upon a time she used the n word. she lost major endorsements and her food network cooking show. she said she is not a racist and she apologized. >>> now to oprah and this controversy that has apparently erupted over this purse. she was shopping for a pretty pricey hand bag in zurich, switzer land. now oprah and this store clerk, they say this was a huge misunderstanding. >> i think that incident in switzerland was just an incident in switzerland. i'm really sorry that it got blown up. i purposely did not mention the name of the store. i'm sorry that i said it was switzerland. i was just referen

take a look at these dramatic pictures out of clermont. villas are being swallowed by the sink holes. 60 feet wide, appears to be getting bigger now. the roof in some places snapped in two, cracks in the concrete. people who live there heard windows breaking as those villas sank but everyone got out safely. >> an amber alert was issued for isaiah perez on sunday morning after his mom and another woman were found murdered at their home. >> this was just a vigilant patrol officer sticking in the area, working on hunches on his home and he comes upon the child wandering. >>gretchen: officials don't know how isaiah ended up there. 22-year-old malcolm crowell under arrest in connection with the homicides and kidnapping. >>> in the aaron hernandez murder case, police believe he asked his fiancee to get rid of the murder weapons. surveillance footage shows jenkins carrying a lockbox out of hernandez' home. police believe she dumped it in the woods or took it to a storage facility. lea michelle giving a tribute to her boyfriend cory monteith when

abc's steve osunsami has the latest on what caused the earth to open up in clermont, florida. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning, lara. this is as close as we can get to much of the villa. much of the state sits on limestone. the water below eat at the stone. and heavy rain pushes into it. leaving you with this. here's video that explains why florida authorities are so worried. what was a perfectly normal vacation villa with two dozen units that are three floors high, all crumbling into a 100-foot sinkhole. this morning, florida inspectors and scientists are testing deep into the soil. families who were forced to evacuate sunday night from the buildings next door, are waiting for the good word that they can return to their vacation rentals. >> we heard a big boom. and the bathtub lifted up and went down. >> reporter: in building 104, that looks like it's circling a drain, dozens of families ran for their lives when the earth gave way and lost everything they had. >> the balconies were collapsing. like one on top of the other. >> reporter: this is a photo of maggie,