Several residents were forced to evacuate Wynchase, a Sentry-managed community in Ocala, FL after several sinkholes developed in various spots in the area including one near a retention pond, and one in the middle of the street, blocking the main entrance to the subdivision.

The local Sentry Community Association Manager, George Traver, and Division Manager, Wendy Thrower acted quickly by posting flyers on all resident’s doors, informing them about the Sentry CommunityAPP™, and instructions on how to download.

In less than 24-hours, the APP had over 200 downloads, as residents downloaded the APP in order to stay updated with the latest news about the situation that had developed within their community.

With the Sentry CommunityAPP™, Community Association Managers are able to send notifications directly to any user’s phones that have the app downloaded and notifications turned on.

“Having the Sentry APP has made it so much easier to communicate with all of the Wynchase residents at the same time and keep them updated as the situation continues to develop,” George Traver, Wynchase Community Association Manager said.

Several messages were sent to residents informing them about a private security firm that had been hired to patrol the neighborhood while the front gate remained open and exactly what steps were being taken by the City of Ocala to help get the issue resolved.

One message sent shortly after the sinkholes appeared, read “Geo Tech will be working Saturday and return again on Monday. The testing should be completed next week. Once reviewed, more information will be provided. Private security will continue throughout the weekend.”

Engineers sent by the City of Ocala continue to work diligently to determine the cause of the sinkholes and find the best solution to fill them. The sinkhole that developed near the retention pond completely drained the pond and revealed four more sinkholes within the pond itself and killed all of the fish that were living in there.

This is not the first time that the Wynchase community has experienced problems with sinkholes. Back in 2012, a 100-foot sinkhole opened up in the neighborhood.

Sinkholes are very common in the state of Florida, and Ocala is located in what is referred to as “sinkhole alley”. Soft sands and swamp areas that are common in the area are the main attribution to this problem.

Within the Sentry Community app, residents can also access important community contact numbers, pay their HOA dues directly, access their community website, and more.

If you are a Wynchase resident that is interested in downloading the APP for updates, please contact George Traver, your community manager for downloading instructions.

Sentry Management is a full-service community management company. Sentry’s business is the day-to-day operation of communities, homeowner associations, and condominium associations. Sentry is accredited as an AMO® (Accredited Management Organization) by the Institute of Real Estate Management, providing independent evaluation that Sentry has one of the highest operating and financial standards in the industry. View our full list of services here: http://www.sentrymgt.com/for-association-boards/services/.