Police
in Midlothian said the dam is expected to fail sometime Wednesday,
which will send a flood wave along Highway 287 in Ellis County and
affect about 25 homes, the station reported.
DEVELOPING:
Officials in a town outside of Dallas Wednesday are preparing for a dam
to give way after deadly storms this weekend flooded the state, telling
nearby residents they need to evacuate, Fox4News.com
reported.
The report of the compromised dam in Midlothian, which is on Padera
Lake about 25 miles southwest of Dallas, came as the statewide search
continues for 11 people. The death toll from the Memorial Day weekend
storms reached 17 in the U.S., and 14 in Mexico.
Police in Midlothian said the soil atop the earthen dam was eroding
as water began flowing and the dam is expected to fail sometime
Wednesday. Then, the flood wave will hit Highway 287 in Ellis County and
affect about 25 homes, the station reported. Livestock owners were
asked to move their animals to higher ground.
Officials said the situation is under control and, at this point, the water flow is not dangerous, CBS in Dallas
reported.
"All of us are watching it very closely," Stephanie Parker, the Ellis
County emergency management coordinator, told the station. "The
best-case scenario is happening and we hope it continues to do so."
WATCH LIVE: Midlothian's Padera Lake dam failure imminent
The report said emergency crews are using pumps to alleviate the dam.
The historic storms over Memorial Day weekend, which dumped up to 10
inches in the span of hours in some areas, has prompted new scrutiny for
Texas' storm warning system as officials continue to search for 11
missing from the Texas town of Wimberley.
The victims included a 14-year-old who was found with his dog in a
storm drain; a high school senior who died after her car was caught in
high water; and a man whose mobile home was destroyed by a reported
tornado.
In Houston, floodwaters affected virtually every part of the city,
paralyzing some areas. Firefighters carried out more than 500 water
rescues, most involving stranded motorists. At least 2,500 vehicles were
abandoned by drivers seeking higher ground, officials said. Mayor
Annise Parker said two people who capsized in a boat that was helping
with rescue efforts Tuesday have not been found.
A spokeswoman for the flood district of Harris County, which includes
Houston, said up to 700 homes sustained some level of damage. Officials
told the Houston Chronicle late Tuesday that flooding had overwhelmed a
wastewater treatment plant in the city, causing more than 100,000
gallons of wastewater to spill out.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that he had declared a disaster in 46
counties, adding that damage from the flooding stretched "from the Red
River to the Rio Grande." President Barack Obama has said he expressed
condolences to Abbott and anticipates significant requests for federal
assistance.
In Wimberley, located between Austin and San Antonio, the usually
calm Blanco River swelled to an ocean-like squall that crested above 40
feet, more than three times above its flood stage of 13 feet. The river
swamped Interstate 35 and closed parts of the busy north-south highway.
Rescuers used pontoon boats and a helicopter to pull people out.
Officials in Hays County said that the bodies of two men and one
woman had been pulled from the Blanco as of late Tuesday. Their
identities had not been confirmed. Eight of the 11 people who remain
missing from the area were in a vacation home that was swept away and
slammed into a bridge downstream. Two 6-year-olds and a 4-year-old were
among those inside. They have been missing since early Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, authorities defended their alerts to residents ahead of
the weather, which included alerts via phone and in person, but
acknowledged challenges with reaching tourists and said a messaging
system in Houston is still waiting for improvements.
"Nobody was saying, 'Get out; get out; get out,'" said Brenda Morton
of Wimberley, who lives three houses down from the home that was swept
away. "We're pretty trained, so we were calculating. We knew the flood
plain. People who were visiting or had summer homes, you have company
from out of town, you don't know. You don't know when that instant is."
Authorities in surrounding Hays County said warnings included
multiple cellphone alerts and calls to landlines. Some received
in-person warnings to evacuate, but officials could not say whether
those in the washed-away home talked to police.
"Law enforcement made notification along that street. Whether they
made contact with somebody at their residence, I can't say," Hays County
Emergency Management Coordinator Kharley Smith said.
Wimberley, a popular bed-and-breakfast getaway near Austin surrounded
by wine vineyards, thrives on weekends like Memorial Day. Some of the
missing had homes in the area, but officials have acknowledged that
their electronic alerts may not reach tourists.
"Most definitely, most definitely that will certainly be part of our discussion," Hays County Commissioner Will Conley said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
copy http://www.foxnews.com/
| Texas gov: 'Don't risk your life'
Fox News
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário