Disaster

As discussed previously, the biggest priority for California officials tasked with restoring the damaged Oroville Dam as they race against a coming Wednesday storm, is to plug the hole in the damaged spillway while draining as much water as possible ahead of the coming rainfall.

After discovering a hole in Oroville Dam's emergency spillway, officials said late Sunday that they will attempt to plug it using sandbags and rocks. But, as the LA Times notes, they stressed the situation remains dangerous and urged thousands of residents downstream to evacuate to higher ground. Video from television helicopters Sunday evening showed water flowing into a parking lot next to the dam, with large flows going down both the damaged main spillway and the emergency spillway.

Following a woefully belated response by California authorities' to the dangerous situation unfolding at the Lake Oroville Dam in Northern California over the weekend, an evacuation order forcing some 200,000 people living below the tallest dam in the US remained in place early on Monday after residents were abruptly told to flee when a spillway appeared in danger of collapse.

Residents of Oroville in California have been told to evacuate as the nations largest dam is expected to fail. Approximately 200,000 people living below the Oroville dam have been asked to evacuate as a spillway appeared to be close to collapse. .@JerryBrownGov Issues Emergency Order to Help Response to #OrovilleSpillway https://t.co/RW8XBlLFT6 pic.twitter.com/ULQGjkt1c1 — Gov. Brown Press Ofc (@GovPressOffice) February 13, 2017 Authorities are attempting to stem the breach with the help of helicopters.