US Army is left with no choice but to release water from two Houston dams before they fail, sending more water rushing down on the city as thousands are told to leave their homes
Water is being released from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs in Houston
Both dams – which hold 410,000 acre feet of water – are almost overflowing
The controlled release will mean water in Buffalo Bayou will rise by another four to six inches per hour
It is a preferable scenario to having them overflow, which would then send an uncontrollable wave of water rushing down on the city
Thousands of people near the dam have been advised to leave their homes
By JENNIFER SMITH
DAILYMAIL.COM
28 August 2017
The army has started releasing water from two Houston dams in a desperate effort to stop them from overflowing, sending more water rushing down on the drowning city.
The Addicks and Barker reservoirs are both nearly full as a result of the unprecedented downpours brought by the storm. They sit approximately 20 miles to the east of Houston’s city center.
If they fail, the water they hold will rush over the already flooded city in an uncontrolled wave, an unthinkable scenario for a city that is already largely underwater.
To avert this disaster, officials began draining them slowly on Sunday night.
Water is being released at a rate of 2600 cubic feet per second from Addicks and 2000 cubic ft from Barker.
They will gradually increase this speed to 8,000 cubic ft per second as the day goes on.
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