Monday, February 13, 2017

Oroville Dam Could Fail, Experts Fear; 200,000 Ordered to Evacuate


Nearly 190,000 people in Northern California were ordered to evacuate Sunday after a spillway serving the country's tallest dam developed a hole that threatened to release uncontrolled floodwaters, officials said.

The emergency slipway off the Oroville Dam was the second to fail in a matter of days, after the dam's primary slipway developed a 200-foot-long, 30-foot-deep hole last week.

The dam itself was not damaged. But because its water levels are so high following heavy rain, if the emergency slipway collapses it could unleash a wall of water onto communities and rivers below.

Sean Dennis was one thousands of residents attempting to make the gridlocked journey to safer ground.

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