Feb 13, 2017

Thousands evacuated in California as dam might collapse

People living below the tallest dam in the United States have been asked to evacuate as a spillway appeared to be close to collapse.

The statement was issued around 00:30 GMT on Monday by Authorities, saying that a crumbling emergency spillway on the Lake Oroville Dam could give way and unleash raging floodwaters onto a string of rural communities along the Feather River.

The Butte County sheriff said in a statement posted on social media. “This is not a Drill. Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered.”

Officials said the cities of Oroville, Gridley, Live Oak, Marysville, Wheat land, Yuba City, Plumas Lake, and Olivehurst were all under evacuation orders and that Evacuation centers were set up at a fairgrounds in Chico, California, about 20 miles northwest of Oroville as this could displace about 200,000 people.

Earlier, the California Department of Water Resources said on Facebook that the spillway of California’s Oroville Dam was “predicted to fail within the next hour”. But several hours later the situation appeared less dire as the spillway remained standing.

The situation caused roads leading out of the area jammed as residents sought to drive out of the flood zone.

The dam, which serves mainly for water supply, hydroelectricity generation and flood control, activated its emergency spillway after weeks of heavy rain caused the reservoir to rise above its capacity.

The water resources department said crews using helicopters would drop rocks to fill a huge gouge in the spillway. Authorities were also releasing water to lower the lake’s level after weeks of heavy rains in the drought-plagued state.

By 06:00 GMT, state and local officials said those efforts had paid off and, with water no longer flowing over the eroded spillway, the immediate danger had passed. But they cautioned that the situation remained unpredictable.

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