200,000 told to flee US's tallest dam in Northern California!

@TheHorse (203753)
Walnut Creek, California
February 13, 2017 9:20am CST
I just read that the spillway on the Lake Oroville Dam, North of Sacramento CA was in danger of collapsing. The Dam itself is OK. Something like 200,000 people have been asked to evacuate the valleys below. I had no idea that this dam was "the tallest in the United States." I drive through that area fairly often. It's largely agricultural. I've been enjoying the rain, even though Borges Ranch (where I take the kids to pet animals) is closed due to landslides. Is the weather adversely affecting things where you live? I'll attach a picture from a hike I took this weekend (if I can).
31 people like this
35 responses
• United States
13 Feb 17
I saw this on the news this morning and if that dam collapses it will be horrific. I hope those people heed the warnings and evacuate. It's terrible seeing all the problems the rain is causing in California. We just have typical winter weather here. Today it's cold but extremely windy which is causing power outages, travel delays at the airports and downed trees.
8 people like this
• United States
13 Feb 17
@TheHorse I can't imagine what it would be like if that spillway fails
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
I think the dam itself is OK. But there will still be big time flooding if the spillway fails.
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (454973)
• Switzerland
13 Feb 17
Yes, I have read this morning that at 770 feet (230 m) high, it is the tallest dam in the U.S. I feel so sorry for all those who have to evacuate leaving most of their belongings there and not sure that they will come back again.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (454973)
• Switzerland
14 Feb 17
@TheHorse When I was still a kid there was an accident in the north of Italy, a dam collapsed during the night killing thousand of people. I still remember the photos in the newspaper. The event marked me so much that I cannot even visit the dams.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
I heard one person interviewed on the radio this morning. He sounded remarkably calm about it all.
2 people like this
@Beatburn (4287)
• Philippines
14 Feb 17
@LadyDuck It must have been a tragic event for you to remember it until now.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45125)
• Canada
13 Feb 17
I saw that on the news this morning. The area went from drought to way too much rain.
5 people like this
@1hopefulman (45125)
• Canada
15 Feb 17
@TheHorse What's the latest news?
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
Yep, but we're getting a few days of grace now.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
15 Feb 17
@1hopefulman I heard that they're letting people return to their homes.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20368)
• Fairfield, Texas
13 Feb 17
Let's just hope that people take the hint and evacuate @TheHorse .
4 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Feb 17
I think most are. But I don't really know.
1 person likes this
@josie_ (9764)
• Philippines
13 Feb 17
That would be unfortunate. I hope Trump won't be saying "I told you so, there's a lot of bad hombres in CA" especially after threatening to withhold federal funding to that "out of control"State.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Feb 17
Maybe the dam will break, Brown will ask for Federal assistance, and Trump will deny it because California went to Hillary.
1 person likes this
@josie_ (9764)
• Philippines
14 Feb 17
@TheHorse _Trump has shown his vindictiveness and small-mindedness. Not very presidential.
1 person likes this
@syeow1 (5137)
• India
13 Feb 17
Yes 2014 we face a huge flood first time due to heavy rain fall.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
I think we're supposed to get a few days of grace, and then the rains return Wednesday or Thursday.
1 person likes this
@syeow1 (5137)
• India
13 Feb 17
@TheHorse oh.hope it will not damage anyone.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130088)
• India
14 Feb 17
I do not see any picture. Perhaps you uploaded a size that is not suitable as of now. What's going on in California. I have friends in that State. Here the weather is fine but its dark even at 6 am
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Feb 17
Right now we're getting a break from the rain. I think more is coming tonight or tomorrow, though.
@sishy7 (27169)
• Australia
13 Feb 17
You have to reduce the picture file size to as small as 55kb to attach it, so it seems... I just heard of the evacuation warning as I was listening to the news while myLotting.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
Do you know how to reduce a picture? I actually don't!
1 person likes this
@sishy7 (27169)
• Australia
13 Feb 17
@TheHorse I just use my MS Office Picture Manager software in my PC but check out JJ's very helpful and informative discussion:
How to currently post a photo on myLot. The file should be 'shrunk' to 55 KB or less Yes, if you 'shrink' a photo, the file will be smaller, but you do...
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
@sishy7 Thanks for the heads up!
1 person likes this
@marlina (154183)
• Canada
13 Feb 17
So scarry for all those people. I hope that things turn out for the best.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
My hunch is that they will. The news tends to dramatize things. But we shall see.
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
13 Feb 17
I thought the tallest dam was the Hoover
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
I thought so too.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35511)
• Canada
14 Feb 17
Well, it is way above freezing so I hung the laundry out. The snow is disappearing. And some farmers are driving onto the frozen fields trying to get the crops off that they couldn't get in our very wet fall and then very early big dump of snow in October. So that is all a little unusual.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Feb 17
@paigea But they can't harvest anything now, can they?
@paigea (35511)
• Canada
14 Feb 17
@TheHorse I think straight combining stuff that they didn't even get to cut in October.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35511)
• Canada
14 Feb 17
@TheHorse Yes they can still harvest it. The quality is diminished and they will get less money for it. It will be used for feed for livestock. In the fall the fields were so wet (after our dry summer) that farmers machinery just got stuck in the fields. While they waited for the fields to dry we got a big dump of snow that covered the crops. The snow cover stayed until now; the mild weather is exposing some fields and they can salvage at least some of their crops. - the life of a farmer. I haven't heard how that damn is holding up this morning.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43451)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Feb 17
Geez, that's a lot of evacuations. Hope everyone is ok.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Feb 17
I don't think anything new has happened. The Denver Nuggets are blowing out the Golden State Warriors, though.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43451)
• Denver, Colorado
14 Feb 17
@TheHorse - Really? The Nuggets?
• Peoria, Arizona
13 Feb 17
That is pretty scary. I had no idea about the tallest dam either. Interesting. I hope everyone stays safe.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
They're trying to reduce the reservoir level so they can work on the spillway.
1 person likes this
@Kandae11 (53597)
13 Feb 17
Not yet, our problems may begin in May with rains and from June to November - hurricanes.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Feb 17
A little different from what we experience here.
@vandana7 (98529)
• India
13 Feb 17
After that there will be abandoned buildings...then ghosts..in those buildings. But large displacement ...sad..we build such big things so that many become poor at one stroke..
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
Hopefully they'll be above to avoid a catastrophic failure.
2 people like this
• United States
14 Feb 17
I actually know where it is , been by there, had no idea it is the tallest. I just recently heard of the evacuation.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Feb 17
I wonder why it doesn't get much attention. Americans like tallest, longest, biggest, and such like.
1 person likes this
• United States
14 Feb 17
@TheHorse I guess it is because it is not something people really thing about, not popular enough. Plus Oroville isn't really the biggest tourist attraction.
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Feb 17
Weather here has calmed down for normal for now. I can't imagine that many people evacuating.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Feb 17
It's probably a slow and steady thing. I'm not sure.
@just4him (303373)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
14 Feb 17
That's interesting. I always thought Hoover Dam was the tallest. I learn something new every day. YEA! I'm alive!
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Feb 17
I thought so too! I hadn't even heard of the Oroville Dam.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Feb 17
@just4him That's what I heard too.
1 person likes this
@just4him (303373)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
16 Feb 17
@TheHorse I heard they have it fixed and people are going home.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116876)
• Anniston, Alabama
13 Feb 17
Not yet, but this place I live now tends to flood every Spring and I am hoping to skip this year.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 Feb 17
Do the farmers have to wait until after the floods to plant?
@spaceseed (2843)
• India
14 Feb 17
Omg such a huge dam, I just seen the footage of drone captured video of the dam..............
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203753)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Feb 17
Did it show the spillway?
@spaceseed (2843)
• India
16 Feb 17
1 person likes this