Summary: 188, 000 people have been forced to evacuate Northern California areas after spillage of the tallest dam in the nation, the Oroville Dam. The dam remains stable, but officials are worried about more damage taking place as the water overflows. Experts are saying that in the worst case, the structure could release an uncontrolled 30 foot wave downstream. They decided to keep people away from the affected area for a few days while they could investigate, and eventually came to the conclusion that the overflow occurred because of heavy rainfall in Northern California over the winter. The California Department of Water Resources also confirmed that the spillage has created erosion problems across the spillway, leaving a hole in the concrete. With more rain in the forecast for Wednesday, Californian officials are doing everything they can to prevent any more damage to the dam and flooding in the surrounding area.
Analysis: This article was published on February 13, 2017, by Madison Park and Eliott C. McLaughlin, to inform people about the dangers of overflow that the Oroville Dam faces. I think the officials were very smart in moving all the people away immediately as soon as any threat became known. This is a terrifying situation that could only get worse if it was disregarded. It's very important that they continue to watch the dam in case of any further developments occur.
Synthesis: Unfortunately, there have been many dam failures in the past, all over the world. This specifically reminds me of the failure of the Gleno Dam in the Italy. The failure occurred in 1923, and there were 356 casualties.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/12/us/california-oroville-dam-failure/
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