As was reported Thursday evening by the Times Virginian, a family of six was displaced after a basement wall collapsed at their home on Route 460 West beside New Jerusalem Baptist Church. The family consists of a husband, wife, four children and several pets.

The wife, Michelle Falwell, spoke with the Times Virginian this afternoon and explained that the collapse was caused by erosion that had accumulated over time after the top of a brick planter was removed from the front left base of the house.

"When it was removed, it was only removed up top, so the brick was still left in the ground," she said. "So when it would rain or anything would come from the gutters or whatever, it would get trapped in that box in the ground. And then over time it just put so much pressure on that wall that the wall just collapsed."

Falwell said the structure was condemned by the fire department and the family is not not permitted to go inside for safety reasons.

There were no injuries in the incident.

For now, the family is now residing in a fully-furnished camper on the property donated today by Campers Care in Gretna.

The family may lose most or all of their personal belongings because of, as Falwell said, concerns over mold damage.

Those who would like to assist the family may contact New Hope Baptist Church in Appomattox at 434-352-7968 or visit a GoFundMe page set up for the family titled "Support Michelle's Family After Home Collapse" at the link here.

Find out more in the upcoming issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Pick up a copy or subscribe at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to view the full article in the e-edition version.

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