La Oroville Dam scares California. It is the largest dam in the state, about 250 kilometers northeast of San Francisco, and is in danger of collapse. The heavy rains of the last period, in fact, would have weakened the drainage channel of the structure, about 230 meters high, which could now cause enormous flooding in the entire area.
Are approximately 200 thousand people evacuated from their homes. In fact, a flood warning was issued by the national weather service, and more rain is expected from Wednesday. Oroville, Palermo, Gridley, Thermalito, South Oroville, Oroville Dam, Oroville East and Wyandotte have been abandoned, and a state of emergency has been declared.
A rupture of the structure's drainage channel would cause "an uncontrolled release of the waters of Lake Oroville". Authorities are attempting to shrink the hole using rocks to relieve pressure on the spillway, but, as confirmed by County Butte Sheriff Kory Honea, "there are still a lot of unknowns." Meanwhile, therefore, it was decided to proceed with the evacuation of the entire area.
