Footage of the landslide on 26th Street. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun video)

A nearly 120-year-old retaining wall that has troubled residents of Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood for decades collapsed Wednesday amid a month's worth of rain, dumping street lights, sidewalks and half a dozen cars onto the CSX rail tracks below.

No injuries were reported. City officials evacuated 19 adjacent homes along East 26th Street and urged residents to avoid the area in case of lingering instability.

The landslide halted CSX rail traffic through what is a main artery to the port of Baltimore. The track carries cargo containers handled by rail at the state's Seagirt Marine Terminal, a substantial economic engine for the region.

"My eyes were just riveted on the road and the railing just falling away," said Charles Village resident Dana Moore, who was driving north on Charles Street as the embankment collapsed. "It was there and then it wasn't."

The rain meanwhile flooded streams, closed roads and prompted rescues across the region.

Signs of trouble appeared on 26th Street early Wednesday afternoon as the rain fell.

Jeff Larry said he was picking up his daughter from school around 2:30 p.m. when he noticed that the street looked more unsettled than usual. When he got home a couple of blocks away, Larry said he called 311 and reported what he saw.

"You could just see that things were going bad it was a pretty significant shift in the ground," Larry said. "What I saw was actual cracks in the pavement, cracks where the pavement had dropped six inches and split open. A lot of the cars were on a much more significant lean than they usually were."

The 311 operator said she would let her supervisor know, Larry said.

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Deluge causes landslide in Baltimore | With Video

Animated Retaining Wall 02
Reinforced Retaining Wall.

By: Majid Ahari

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Animated Retaining Wall 02 - Video

Hairpin Retaining Wall Pour 2
This video shows a few segments of pouring the core of the retaining wall blocks first four rows. This is the second pour, as the footing was poured previous...

By: Tom Watson

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Hairpin Retaining Wall Pour 2 - Video

Installation Video for TERRAFORCE Retaining Wall
Basic Installation guidelines for a TERRAFORCE retaining wall using the hollow concrete blocks. Whether Round face or Rock Face is chosen the same principles of installation apply. This is...

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Installation Video for TERRAFORCE Retaining Wall - Video

AJAX The retaining wall between James Agostinos property and the one next door had been there since the homes were built in 1985. As of two days ago, its gone.

An ongoing dispute between Agostino and his Ajax neighbour on Lake Driveway West led to contractors showing up early Monday morning with power tools in hand. Before he knew it, the wall was coming down and there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.

It is supposed to rain for the next five days, the 66-year old retiree says. My back yard is collapsing and I feel lost as to what to do.

The property is at a higher elevation than the one along side it and the wall was put in place by the builder nearly thirty years ago to keep both back yards level.

The neighbour moved in about ten years ago and, according to Agostino, and has raised issues about the wall being on his side of the property line. The plan is to put up a regular wooden fence in its place.

Agostino has contacted both the police and the Town of Ajax bylaw office and has been told to contact a lawyer. Meanwhile, his land is beginning to collapse and hes worried it is becoming a safety hazard.

Mark McAllisters passion for news has kept him front and centre for many of Globals top stories both on television and via the web.

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Ajax property dispute leads to wall being torn down

21-year-old University of Alabama swimmer John Servati was killed when a retaining wall fell on him during a severe storm on Monday. Servati was crushed as he held the wall up so his girlfriend could escape.

A UA spokesman confirmed Servatis identity after the news broke that a man had been killed when the basement wall of his home collapsed during the storm.

Megan Brantley, a spokesperson for the city of Tuscaloosa, said that a 21-year-old male had been crushed by the collapsing wall.

Witnesses reported a death in a heavily flooded home, according to an officer with the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit. Servati was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, but sadly could not be saved.

Servatis classmates and fellow swimmers are mourning the loss of an extraordinary young man, in the words of Alabama coachDennis Pursley, who excelled academically as well as in the pool.

"John definitely had a genuine heart," Alabama captainPhillip Deatonsaid. "He was a carefree guy who always had this huge smile on his face. He was my training partner for three years and I can tell you that while he liked to goof around and have fun, when he stepped up on the block he was intensely focused - he was a competitor and an amazing teammate. As a team, we are doing the best we can right now."

Others lauded Servati for the bravery he exhibited to save his girlfriend, who was uninjured.

John Servati died a hero. Held up a concrete wall long enough for his girlfriend to get out from under it before it collapsed again on him, tweeted UA swimmer Anna Rae Gwarjanski.

Alabama coaches met with swim and dive team members early Tuesday. A prayer service was later held at Calvary Baptist Church, near the Aquatic Center where Servati spent so much of his time.

Sources: Al.com (2)

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UA Swimmer John Servati Dies Saving Girlfriend From Collapsing Wall

Retaining wall repair

By: Scott Eckenrode

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Retaining wall repair - Video

Nanticoke, PA, Retaining Wall FULL
http://www.RockinWalls.com Location: Heights Road RT 29, Nanticoke, PA 18634 USA 41.225479,-76.013229 7 #39; H x 961 #39; L Retaining Wall. Built in 1936 Stone: PA Blue Q...

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Nanticoke, PA, Retaining Wall FULL - Video

News9 - Retaining wall collapses on two workers

By: Sneha S

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News9 - Retaining wall collapses on two workers - Video

Environmentalists have taken objection to the Coimbatore Corporations move to construct a wall in Valangkulam to prevent inundation of houses of those who live along Vincent Road.

According to K. Mohan Raj, secretary, Save Coimbatore Wetlands, the civic body constructing the wall in the tank will pave the way for more encroachments.

Already considerable tank space has been eaten away by people who have encroached upon the area to construct houses.

The retaining wall will only legitimise their construction and allow more such structures.

The increased occupation will result in more sewage flowing into the tank. As if on cue, the Corporation is constructing the wall with pipelines to convey the sewage into the tank.

He says that though there is nothing wrong in the civic body constructing the wall, it should have removed the encroachments first and then constructed the wall.

If done so, it would have prevented encroachments.

The civic body is constructing the wall for 250 feet at Rs. 42 lakh to prevent the Valangkulam waters from flowing into the houses there. The rationale the Corporation provided for constructing the wall is that the residents were the first to get affected whenever it rained in the area or whenever the water level in the tank rose.

Sources in the Coimbatore Corporation say that it is factually incorrect to say that the civic body is constructing the compound in the tank and that it has allowed encroachments.

The survey records clearly establish that abutting Vincent Road on the east is private land, where the people have built houses. At the eastern end of the land is a Corporation road and only thereafter the tank boundary starts.

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Environmentalists upset over move to construct wall in Valangkulam