'Every day we worry:' Homes on shoreline in Somers in jeopardy of falling into Lake Michigan



Home in Village & Town of Somers in jeopardy of falling into Lake Michigan



VILLAGE & TOWN OF SOMERS -- For many people living in the Midwest, having a house on the lake is a dream. But one property in the Village & Town of Somers is too close to the water for comfort.

"Every day we worry about the east storms coming," said Darrel Carl, who owns a home on the lakefront.

The view becomes not so desirable once you see another home that is not only on the lake, but dangling above it.

"Now the lake level is so high, it's starting to eat underneath, and everything is falling over," Carl said.

Home in Village & Town of Somers in jeopardy of falling into Lake Michigan



Carl lives next door to the now-abandoned house that used to have a sunroom and a back deck.

"Within the last year and a half, Mary? It all fell over," said Carl. "It just all went away."

Home in Village & Town of Somers in jeopardy of falling into Lake Michigan



The shoreline and bluff erosion is a big issue that is now putting Carl's house at risk.

"It's our retirement -- and it's washing into the lake," Carl said. "We had stairs down there, and one morning, we woke up and they were completely gone."

Home in Village & Town of Somers in jeopardy of falling into Lake Michigan



The disappearing property and houses on the verge of falling into the lake have not gone unnoticed by village/town officials.

Jason Peters



"The village has actually put in a raze order to have that house removed for a while, but we've been working through the process with the bank that actually holds that mortgage now for them to get rid of it," said Jason Peters, Somers assistant administrator.

As the wind blasts and the waves roll, the abandoned house continues to linger above the water.

"The problem is not going away any time soon," Peters said.