Hide Transcript Show Transcript

WEBVTT DANAGRIFFIN HAS BEENSTANDING BY.SHE HAS THE OFFICIALS INOROVILLE.DANA: WE LEARNED THAT THE FORTOLOWER THE LAKE HAS BEENSUCCESSFUL.THERE IS NO LONGER WATERSPILLING OVER THE EMERGENCYSPILLWAY.BUT NOW THEY WANT TO DROP THATLAKE LEVEL 50 FEET AND BESTINPREPAREDNESS FOR THE STORMEXPECTED LATER THIS WEEK.THE WANT TO SHOW YOU VIDEO FROMLIVECOPTER3.THEY CONTINUE TO POP 100,000 CFSAND WATER THROUGH THE DAMAGEDSPILLWAY.THERE ARE STILL A LOT OFUNKNOWNS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOTBEEN ABLE TO REACH THEHOHOLE.THEY NEEDTO GIVE DWR TIME TOEVALUATE THE SITUATION BEFOREMAKING A DECISION TO LETRESIDENTS BACK IN.LISTEN TO WHAT OFFICIALS TOLD USJUST MOMENTS AGO.>> WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WELOOK AT EVERYTHING, WHETHER ITIS HYDROLOGIC, THE WEATHERFORECASTS, AND THE CONDITION OFOUR INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE SUREWE ARE DOING OF THEY WE CAN TOMAKE SURE THAT OPERATES ANDPROTECTS THE PUBLIC.WITH OUR MULTIAGENCY APPROACHTHAT WE'VE TAKEN HERE, WE AREDOING THAT.I THINK TODAY WAS AN EXAMPLE.IT WAS A TOUGH CALL TO MAKE.IT WAS THE RIGHT CALL TO MAKE TOPROTECT THE PUBLIC.>> I RECOGNIZE HOW TOUGH THISSITUATION IS ON PEOPLE.I RECOGNIZE WE HAVE HAD TODISPLACE A LOT OF PEOPLE.BUT AS YOU'VE HEARDTONIGHT, WENEEDED TO DO THAT TO ENSURE THEPUBLIC'S SAFETY.DA AGAIN, WEDONA: OFFICIALS --DANA: WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN THEEVACUATION ORDERS WILL BELIFTED.ALSO SAID THAT LOOTING IS NOTHAPPENING.CHICO HOTELS ARE FILLING UP YOUR

Advertisement Evacuation orders remain for more than 180K as officials monitor Lake Oroville DWR: 'Hazardous situation' has developed with Oroville Dam emergency spillway Share Shares Copy Link Copy

More than 180,000 people were evacuated Sunday afternoon after officials spotted severe erosion on the emergency spillway at Lake Oroville. Officials warned the emergency spillway was in danger of failing and could send a 30-foot wall of water into communities along the Feather River Basin. CLICK HERE to download the KCRA app to receive breaking news alerts about the evacuation orders and emergency spillway "This damage could result in catastrophic failure of the auxiliary spillway," the California Department of Water Resources said in a statement. While water stopped spilling over the emergency spillway, officials are keeping the orders in place until crews can start repairing the erosion, and they can analyze the situation. RELATED: Monday morning Oroville Emergency Spillway and evacuation updates "There is still a lot of unknowns," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said. "We need to continue to lower the lake levels and we need to give the Department of Water Resources time to fully evaluate the situation so we can make the decision to whether or not it is safe to repopulate the area." Gov. Jerry Brown issued an emergency order Sunday night to "bolster the state's response" at the emergency spillway. “I’ve been in close contact with emergency personnel managing the situation in Oroville throughout the weekend and it’s clear the circumstances are complex and rapidly changing,” Brown said in a statement. “I want to thank local and state law enforcement for leading evacuation efforts and doing their part to keep residents safe. The state is directing all necessary personnel and resources to deal with this very serious situation.” The evacuation orders went out around 4 p.m. after engineers spotted a hole that was eroding back toward the top of the spillway. It's unknown when evacuations will be lifted. EVACUATIONS: People living along the Feather River Basin in Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties were ordered to evacuate Sunday eveningdue to the danger posed by the spillway. “It was a tough call to make, and it was the right call to make to protect the public," DWR Director Bill Croyle said Sunday night. Low-lying areas of Oroville, Gridley and several communities downstream from Lake Oroville in Butte County were ordered to evacuate. "A hazardous situation is developing with the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway," the Butte County Sheriff's Office said on its Facebook page. "Operation of the auxiliary spillway has (led) to severe erosion that could lead to a failure of the structure. Failure of the auxiliary spillway structure will result in an uncontrolled release of flood waters from Lake Oroville." The following cities in Yuba County are under evacuation orders, the sheriff's office spokesperson Leslie Caqrbah said: MarysvilleHallwoodOllivehurstPlumas Lake Wheatland is now under a voluntary evacuation order, the county's office of emergency services said. In Sutter County, an immediate evacuation has been ordered for Live Oak, Nicolaus and all communities Feather River Yuba City basin, officials tweeted. Yuba City is under an evacuation advisory, police said. Honea said there have been no reports of looting or shootings during the evacuations, dispelling rumors of these crimes in the region. Evacuation shelters have been set up at: Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico at 2357 Fair Street (FULL)Neighborhood Church in Chico at 2801 Notre DameAlcouffe Community Center on Marysville Road, Oregon HouseGlenn County Fairgrounds in Orland at 221 E. Yolo StreetNevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley at 11228 McCourney RoadBeale Air Force Base, about 8 miles east of Marysville; people can enter at either Doolittle Gate, off of Hammonton Smartsville Road, or Schneider Gate, North Beale RoadSutter High School in Sutter at 2665 Acacia AvenueYolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland at 1250 E. Gum Street A large animal shelter is open in Oroville at Camelot Equestrian Park, located at 1985 Clark Road. Also, Cattleman's Livestock Market in Galt has room for large animals. California Highway Patrol opened southbound lanes of Hwy. 70 to northbound traffic, Butte County officials said. Butte County officials also said Nelson Avenue is closed at Table Mountain Boulevard due to ongoing road construction. The Colusa Unified School District is cancelling school for Monday. While Colusa may not be directly in danger, the schools will be closed "out of an abundance of caution," Superintendent Dwayne Newman said. The following hotels in Chico told Butte County officials they are full: America's BestCourtyard MarriottHaven InnHeritage InnMotel 6RamadaOxford SuitesQuality Inn Regency Inn Anyone with questions can call the public information line at 530-872-5951. THE PROBLEM Water from Lake Oroville has stopped flowing over the emergency spillway while officials continue to release water from the main spillway. The erosion at the head of the emergency spillway threatens to undermine the concrete weir and allow large, uncontrolled releases of water from Lake Oroville, DWR said. PHOTOS: Get bird's eye view of Lake Oroville's emergency spillway Honea said engineers with the Department of Water Resources informed him shortly after 6 p.m. that the erosion on the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam was not advancing as fast as they thought. "Unfortunately, they couldn't advise me or tell me specifically how much time that would take so we had to make the very difficult and critical decision to initiate the evacuation of the Orville area and all locations south of that," he said. "We needed to get people moving quickly to save lives if the worst case scenario came into fruition." A California Office of Emergency Services spokesperson said the potential failure of Lake Oroville's emergency spillway is "potentially catastrophic." Unexpected erosion chewed through the main spillway during heavy rain earlier this week, sending chunks of concrete flying and creating a 200-foot-long, 30-foot-deep hole. Engineers don't know what caused the cave-in. Water began flowing over the emergency spillway at the Lake Oroville on Saturday for the first time in its nearly 50-year history after heavy rainfall. Officials earlier Sunday stressed the dam itself was structurally sound and said there was no threat to the public. The lake is a central piece of California's government-run water delivery network, supplying water for agriculture in the Central Valley and residents and businesses in Southern California. THE PLAN TO FIX Water officials said no repair work was done Sunday on the eroded emergency spillway. Crews are waiting until first thing Monday morning to get a clear view of the damage and start filling the erosion scar. Croyle said officials will be able to assess the damage to the emergency spillway now that the water is no longer spilling over the top. Crews plan to use helicopters to drop rocks into hole on the emergency spillway to prevent possible collapse. Cal Fire said engines, helicopters and bulldozers from across the state are headed to Oroville to help. Crews were filling containers with rocks Sunday night. Then first thing Monday morning, helicopters will drop the packages into the erosion scar in the emergency spillway -- and hopefully, fortify the weir. DWR officials also hope to reduce the water level by another 50 feet in order to take pressure off the emergency spillway. The level needs to be below the level of emergency spillway in case their is a boil in the weir that is allowing water to leak into the gouge. As of midnight, Lake Oroville's water level was at 899.7 feet -- lake capacity is at 901 feet -- decreasing by 5 inches within a n hour. "The lower (the water level) gets, the less pressure (on the spillway) there will be," KCRA meteorologist Mark Finan said. DWR officials also increased water releases from the main spillway, which can handle water flows up to 250,000 cfs, to 100,000 cfs. DWR said the increased flows will further damage the main spillway, but it the only outlet for the water to leave the lake quickly. According to Finan, if the inflows and outflows stay the same, the lake's water level would drop 20 feet within 36 hours. WHO'S RESPONDING TO LAKE OROVILLE SITUATION: Several agencies from across California are working together to mitigate, analyze and respond to Lake Orville. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services has activated the State Operations Center to help monitor the situation and assist Butte County officials. The California National Guard official is sending eight helicopters to assist with emergency spillway reconstruction. Adjunct General David S. Baldwin said at a news conference late Sunday that the helicopters and two airplanes will also be available for search and rescue Monday near the Oroville Dam. He added that the California National Guard put out a notification to all 23,000 soldiers and airmen to be ready to deploy if needed. Baldwin said the last time an alert like Sunday's was issued for the entire California National Guard was the 1992 riots. State Fire and Rescue Chief Kim Zagaris said at least 250 law enforcement officers from throughout the state are in the area or en route to help keep things safe for the people who evacuated. The Citrus Heights Police Department, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, the Placer County Sheriff's Office, the Roseville Police Department, the Sacramento Metro Fire Department, about a 100 CHP officers in across Northern California and many other agencies are responding to Oroville. The Sacramento Fire Department said the emergency spillway's failure could have downstream affects in Sacramento. Water levels could rise and go over levees in some areas, causing flooding. The fire department also sent crews to Oroville with water rescue equipment. Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said the responding agencies are not only part of contingency plans but are also working toward mitigating the situation. The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services said it is working with levee agencies to protect communities, adding, "There is not immediate threat." Roseville is not under evacuation orders, police tweeted. The city of Lincoln is also not expected to be impacted by the water releases at Lake Oroville, city officials tweeted. The city of Davis is working closely with Yolo County as officials monitor the situation in Oroville, but there have been no immediate issues identified at this time, officials posted on Facebook. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg tweeted that if the spillway fails, the city would not be significantly impacted, adding that "our flood system/channels have sufficient capacity to accommodate increased flows." --- The Associated Press contributed to this story.