Fears of Virginia dam failing lead to evacuations

FAN Editor

Lynchburg, Virginia officials ordered evacuations Thursday in the area of Black Creek Trail over fears of the College Lake Dam will fail in the heavy flooding. Heavy rains have caused rising water and crews are using caution, CBS Roanoke affiliate WDBJ reports.

According to the National Weather Service, the Lynchburg Water Resources Department reported 4 to 6 inches of rain earlier Thursday evening caused the College Lake Dam to fill beyond its capacity. Twelve to 18 inches of water are flowing over Lakeside Drive into Blackwater Creek. 

The nearest downstream city from the dam is Lynchburg. The National Water Service said if complete failure of the dam occurs, “the water depth in Lynchburg could exceed 17 feet in seven minutes.”  

There were also flash flood warnings issued for the Atlanta area, while the East Coast from northern Georgia to central Pennsylvania was under a flash flood watch. 

Lynchburg, Virginia, is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 50 miles from Roanoke. 

This is a developing story and will be updated. 

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Huawei says shipped over 95 million smartphones globally in first half

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is seen outside its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo August 3, 2018 HONG KONG (Reuters) – Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL], which overtook Apple Inc as the world’s second-largest smartphone vendor in the June […]