A Target on a hillside is slipping in West Virginia

BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ/Gray News) - A Target in West Virginia has been significantly damaged by the slipping of the ground beneath it.

Further slipping at the Target in Barboursville began to cause major damage to the building overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

The slip initially forced the store to temporarily close a couple of weeks ago.

The property manager’s current plan is to remove the back portion of the building that has been impacted by the massive slip on the hillside, Barboursville’s police chief said.

However, officials have not confirmed when that work will begin.

Target has engineers and experts on site assessing the damage.

Utility crews are also on site monitoring the sewer system.

Mayor Chris Tatum says all other businesses in the plaza remain open and are not believed to be in any danger.

Residents at three homes behind the store received voluntary evacuation notices from Target before the latest slip. The mayor said Target offered to cover the relocating costs for those residents.

Tatum said in addition to the building itself, significant damage has also been done to the perimeter and roadway behind the building.

Breanna Vest, who works at a massage business across from Target, said it was stunning to see the images of the damage Wednesday morning.

“At first I didn’t believe it,” Vest said. “It’s very shocking. I still don’t understand how the other businesses can stay open considering how bad it is back there.”

Erin Davis works at one of the businesses in the same strip as Target.

“It looks insane,” she said.

Davis said she can’t help but wonder how much worse it’s going to get. She said her heart goes out to the Target employees.

“I do have faith we’re going to be afloat,” she said. “I’m just not sure about Target.”

As to how this latest slip will affect the store’s future, the mayor said it’s too early to say, but he added the business will not be making any moves to reopen soon.

Target released a statement on Saturday well before this latest slip, saying the store was expected to remain closed for a prolonged period.

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