Officials say the risk of Illinois dam breach is now manageable following an unprecedented rainfall event.
On Tuesday, vehicles in the small city of Nashville, Illinois were submerged in floodwater following an extremely rare rainfall event that occurs once every hundred years. The inundation was captured in a photo, showing the severity of the situation.
The acronym "WSIL" stands for Web Server Interface Language.
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On Tuesday morning, the evacuation of residents from a small city in Illinois was ordered due to concerns that the reservoir dam might rupture after being overtopped by water. However, local authorities have now reassured that the situation is under control.
According to Alex Haglund, a representative for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday caused the dam to overflow, leading to flooding downstream and resulting in the evacuation of Nashville, Illinois residents.
According to a statement released by Haglund, around 200 homes were deemed to be in danger of flooding. Emergency responders were able to assist in the evacuation of residents living in the lower region, some of whom reported water levels reaching their waist inside their homes. One individual, a woman, needed to be rescued.
According to the statement, although the immediate risk to individuals living near the dam has been controlled, there are several road closures in the vicinity. These include the stretch of Interstate 64 between the Nashville and Ashley exits. It is advised for residents to avoid traveling on the roads, if feasible.
According to a post on Facebook on Tuesday night by the Washington County Emergency Management Agency, residents can now return to the evacuated areas if they feel safe to do so.
According to the agency, the US Army Corps of Engineers has evaluated the safety of the reservoir and stated that the secondary dam functioned as intended, effectively preventing a complete dam collapse. However, it was also noted that repairs will need to be made to the Nashville IL Reservoir in the near future in order to maintain the structural integrity of the dam.
According to the local authorities, the rupture was imminent and could occur at any given time.
The Nashville dam is on the verge of collapsing and immediate action is required. The emergency management agency issued an urgent Facebook post on Tuesday morning, urging residents to evacuate their homes immediately.
The National Weather Service office in St. Louis reported that Washington County was placed under a flash flood warning until 4:30 p.m. CT due to receiving more than 5 inches of rain within a span of six hours, as estimated by radar.
Based on weather data, the amount of rainfall is similar to the frequency of a 100-year rainfall event, which is a heavy rain that is expected to occur only once every hundred years.
These days, there is an increased frequency of heavy rainfall occurrences such as the ones mentioned in this article (https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/08/world/extreme-weather-climate-change/). These events serve as clear examples of the impact of climate change. Due to the rising temperatures caused by the emission of fossil fuels, the atmosphere has the capacity to retain a greater amount of moisture, which can result in extreme downpours.
Following the intense downpour on Tuesday morning, there is a chance for another bout of heavy rainfall in the region during the night. However, there may be a pause in the heaviest downpour later on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
No injuries or fatalities have been reported as a result of this emergency.
According to the US Census Bureau, approximately 3,105 individuals reside in Nashville, which is located in the southeastern region of Illinois, approximately 50 miles east of St. Louis.
According to records from Washington County, a breach occurred on July 26, 2022, in the secondary dam of the city reservoir. The breach was caused by heavy rainfall, measuring over four inches, that occurred within a span of 12 hours near Nashville. This resulted in a 6-foot breach and the subsequent flooding of approximately 40 acres of land between Ashley, Illinois, and Nashville.
CNN has contacted authorities in Nashville and Washington County for the latest information.
This is an ongoing news and has been revised.
This report was contributed to by Eric Zerkel, Christina Zdanowicz, Sara Smart, and CNN's meteorologist Brandon Miller, as reported by CNN.
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