California prepares for catastrophe: Battle to stop a collapse at America’s tallest dam as 200,000 residents flee amid fears of a 100ft-deep flood that could stretch for 40 miles
Fears the Oroville Dam could collapse and unleash flooding which could leave towns 100 foot underwater
Nearly 200,000 residents evacuated in Butte, Sutter and Yuba counties in Northern California amid fears
All 23,000 of the California National Guard have been put on standby to assist the situation and recovery
Federal and state officials rejected concerns that the dam would be under threat from rain 12-years ago
Water levels reached 50-year high after rainfall and threatened citizens living near the massive Oroville Dam
The extra water meant the dam’s emergency spillway was called into action for the first time in half a century
A gaping chasm in the main spillway has disrupted the flow of the water, which prompted the flooding fears
By GARETH DAVIES
DailyMail.com
13 February 2017
Officials have been inspecting the nation’s tallest dam since first night this morning in a desperate effort to stop a devastating 100-foot tsunami from being unleashed, as 200,000 people remain under evacuation orders across California despite water levels dropping over night.
Concerned authorities warned in the worst case scenario a complete structural breakdown at the emergency spillway of Oroville Dam would unleash a torrent of water that would engulf Oroville within an hour.
The ensuing flood from the 770-foot dam would catastrophically put the city of Oroville and several other low-lying communities along the Feather River under 100ft of water.
The potential disaster is the result of massive spikes in water levels as a result of snow and heavy rain after years of drought, and damage to the primary and emergency spillways at the dam.
And amid the frantic evacuations, it emerged overnight federal and state officials and some of California’s largest water agencies rejected concerns 12 years ago about the precarious state the dam – which was built between 1962 and 1968.
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