Tag Archives: threat of California dam collapse

Nearly 200,000 people ordered to evacuate amid threat of California dam collapse

Authorities ordered the evacuation of nearly 200,000 residents in several northern California towns Sunday evening, as a rapidly eroding section of a dam appeared on the verge of collapse. “Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered,” the Butte County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “Operation of the auxiliary spillway,” the sheriff’s office said, had led “to severe erosion that could lead to a failure of the structure. Failure of the auxiliary spillway structure will result in an uncontrolled release of flood waters from Lake Oroville.” The evacuation warning was “NOT a drill,” the sheriff’s office added. Read the story here 08:57