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BRITAIN-WEATHER-WATER-ACCIDENT
British town evacuated as dam disintegrates
WHALEY BRIDGE, United Kingdom, Aug 2, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Hundreds of people
were evacuated from a town in central England as a British military
helicopter was called in Friday to prevent a reservoir dam from collapsing.
The Toddbrook Reservoir dam was feared to be on the verge of caving in
following heavy rain, threatening the lives and homes of residents in Whaley
Bridge.
One side of the dam spillway weakened when the panels started to come away
on Thursday.
A Royal Air Force (RAF) helicopter lowered bags of aggregate into the
damaged part of the dam wall on Friday, while firefighters, scrambled from
around the country, have been pumping water out of the reservoir.
“It is a critical situation,” said Julie Sharman, chief operating officer
of the Canal and River Trust which runs the reservoir.
She said water levels had reduced by around eight inches (20 centimetres)
overnight.
The British government has issued a “severe flooding — danger to life”
warning for the area directly below the dam.
Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, is on the edge of the Peak District National
Park and 16 miles (26 kilometres) southeast of the city of Manchester.
The reservoir dates back to the 19th century.
Fast-flowing water had been rushing over the spillway before the collapse.
“I’ve lived in Whaley for the best part of 45 years, and I’ve never seen
water flood over the dam like that, ever, nor thought that we could possibly
be at risk in this way,” said local resident Carolyn Whittle.
The RAF Chinook heavy-lift helicopter was dropping some 400 one-tonne bags
of sand, gravel and stone into place.
Derbyshire Police assistant chief constable Kem Mehmet said more than a
thousand people had been evacuated from areas that would be flooded
immediately if the dam wall failed.
“As there is still a risk the dam will fail, please stay away from the
area,” he said. “Being asked to leave your home is an extremely difficult and
worrying situation to find yourself in. However, it is not a decision we have
taken lightly.”
He said “everything humanly possible” was being done “to save the reservoir
wall and to protect the town.”
BSS/AFP/RY/16:18 hrs