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OROVILLE — The threat of imminent collapse of the Oroville Dam emergency spillway continued to ease Monday morning, hours after authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 180,000 downstream residents upon discovering damage to the structure.

But there is still serious concern about the condition of the auxiliary spillway, and it’s unclear when residents will be able to return to their homes.

With a storm expected to arrive Wednesday, the state Department of Water Resources needs to make room for the water that will be flowing in. The agency aims to drain about 1.2 million acre feet of water from the reservoir over the next day or so. The capacity of the reservoir, California’s second-largest, is about 35 million feet.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared an emergency late Sunday to beef up the state’s response to the evacuations and dam threat.

The evacuation of residents in Oroville and surrounding communities in the shadow of the nation’s tallest dam was issued around 4:30 p.m., with California Department of Water Resources officials saying floodwaters could arrive within the hour. By 8 p.m., the crisis had eased, as the water level of Lake Oroville, the state’s second-largest reservoir, had fallen to the point — roughly 900 feet — that no water was passing over the imperiled auxiliary spillway.

Water levels have continuously dropped, and as of 9 a.m., stood at just under 897 feet.

California Department of Water Resources officials say flows into the lake are just under 45,000 cubic feet per second. Outflows remain high at nearly 100,000 cubic feet per second.

There are two more days of dry weather until another round of rain arrives in Northern California, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento. The Sacramento valley may receive between a half-inch to 1 inch of rain, with the foothills and mountains recording between 2 to 4 inches, according to the weather service. The weather service is tracking a series of storms that could bring rain to Northern California through Feb. 20.

Law enforcement officials expressed sympathy for residents forced to flee the potential disaster. The sheriff of Butte County said it was better to be “safe than sorry” given the gravity of the situation.

“I didn’t have the luxury seeing if everything was going to be OK,” Sheriff Kory Honea late Sunday afternoon. “We needed to get people moving quickly in order to save lives in case the worst-case scenario came to fruition.”

The evacuation caused chaos on roads and highways as people hustled out of their homes with scant belongings.

Duke and Debbie Charlesworth and her 87-year-old father were part of the panicked exodus Sunday night from their homes in Live Oak south of Oroville. With news reports that the dam could fail at any minute, they grabbed a change of clothes and their toothbrushes then got stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic on Highway 99 south.

“I was thinking, God, I hope we get out of here, that nothing would happen before we got out,” Debbie Charlesworth, 62, said Monday morning as she filled her gas tank in Live Oak.

Sunday night, they decided to skirt the traffic and head west to higher ground. They spent the night in their Toyota Avalon on the side of the highway on the way to the buttes, the mountains west of town that shoot up from the farmlands.

“I’ve got a crook in my neck,” said Duke Charlesworth. “People were parked randomly on the side of the road sleeping.”

North of the dam in Chico, where thousands more fled, nearly 700 evacuees scored cots in four buildings at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds. At least as many slept in their cars in the fairgrounds parking lot. Monday morning, the Red Cross and Salvation Army were serving breakfast.

Some Marysville evacuees were bordering on panic. Erin English, of Linda, fled with her husband, two children and dogs.

“I’m scared to death. I’ve never been through anything like this before,” she said. “I pray for the safety of everybody here.”

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Evacuees were quickly filling up hotels along Highway 99 and Interstate 5 in Sacramento. In an hour Sunday evening, the Homewood Suites near Sacramento International Airport received 20 reservations in back-to-back phone calls, said Gao Hang, who was working the front desk.

“They didn’t care about the price at all because they just need a place to go,” she said. “It’s not just us.”

Just four hours before the evacuation, water officials held a news conference during which they said the emergency spillway, activated Saturday for the first time in its history because of damage the main spillway sustained early last week, was not in danger of failing. However, officials soon discovered that a hole was developing — one that was growing fast enough to cause a breach.

Officials ramped the main spillway back up Sunday afternoon — from 55,000 cubic feet of water per second to 100,000 — to lower the level of the reservoir and ease the risk of a catastrophic failure of the emergency spillway.

Authorities breathed a sigh of relief as the main spillway held up under the pressure and the erosion of the earthen hill beneath the emergency spillway did not worsen as rapidly as feared.

“It’s definitely one of those white-knuckle moments,” said Jay Lund, an engineering professor at UC Davis.

The sheriff said there is a plan to plug the hole in the emergency spillway.

“That would include using helicopters to drop bags of rocks into the crevice to prevent any further erosion,” he said.

Water expert Peter Gleick, of the Pacific Institute, said failure of the emergency spillway would allow an uncontrolled release of water to surge down the Feather River. Such a breach could then undermine the earthen hill beneath the spillway, causing a catastrophic release from the reservoir.

He cautioned Sunday night the catastrophic scenario did not appear likely, but engineers will know more when they inspect the damage to the emergency spillway in coming days.

“People don’t realize how powerful water can be,” Gleick said. “We use water to cut steel in some industrial operations. Uncontrolled water is a dangerous thing.”

The California National Guard has “all of its resources standing by and available” to assist in repairing the spillway and helping displaced residents, according to Major General David Baldwin.

“We have over 1,200 people on duty in Northern California that are ready to go at a moment’s notice, and we can bring in additional resources as necessary,” Baldwin said.

Water district officials have repeatedly said that the dam itself is structurally sound and not at risk of failing.

The evacuation orders affected 35,000 people in Butte County, 65,000 people in Yuba City, and 75,000 people in Yuba County, authorities said.

Some residents obeyed the orders reluctantly. Kevin Carroll lives in a Marysville home along the Feather River, and gathered clothes and his dogs to head out, even though he believed the river would not flood.

“My wife said go,” he said. “The river is right on our back door.”

Except for the crowded roads Sunday, Oroville looked liked a ghost town.

Evacuation centers were filling up Sunday night in communities surrounding the evacuated region.

Butte County Superintendent of Schools Tim Taylor has called for nearly all schools to close Monday except those in the Chico and Paradise districts.

Alameda County has accepted more than 500 inmates from Butte and other counties affected by the evacuations.

The inmates began arriving last night and are being housed at both Santa Rita and Glenn Dyer jails, authorities said.

It was not known how long the inmates would be housed in Alameda County.

Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly said accepting the inmates “is not a problem for us,” since the county can hold as many as 5,000 inmates in the two jails and before Sunday the population was about 2,500.

The city of Oroville has about 16,000 residents. Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, said a failure of the spillway could potentially affect most of the town.

“This is not a drill,” a National Weather Service bulletin blared Sunday afternoon. “Repeat this is not a drill … Move to higher ground now. Act quickly to protect your life.”

Lake Oroville opened in 1968. Oroville Dam, located 70 miles north of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is a critical part of California’s drinking water system, providing water for 23 million people and vast stretches of farmland.

At 770 feet tall, the structure that holds back the Feather River is taller than the Washington Monument.

Staff writers Julia Prodis Sulek, Sharon Noguchi, Mark Gomez and Harry Harris, the Sacramento Bee and the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Donate to @NVCF support residents evacuated due to collapse of dam spillway nvcf.org/fund/oroville-… #OrovilleDam #OrovilleSpillway http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g9vKiVMAEEkgV.jpgHopefully the evacuation efforts below the #OrovilleDam are successful, the failure of the dam will be HUGE. #OrovilleSpillway http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-IHGWYAAehiF.jpgPraying for all folks at risk near #OrovilleDam , as #OrovilleSpillway expected to give way; thx to #FirstResponders

kcra.com/article/evacua… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g9yAuXUAAJb7c.jpgAsí lucía en 2014 lago y vertedero de la presa #Oroville ; hoy está al 101% de su capacidad por las lluvias torrenciales de los últimos días. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5fUoAA98zb.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5lVUAA5s_5.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5cVMAACc2s.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p6mUYAAy7NX.jpgAsí lucía en 2014 lago y vertedero de la presa #Oroville ; hoy está al 101% de su capacidad por las lluvias torrenciales de los últimos días. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5fUoAA98zb.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5lVUAA5s_5.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5cVMAACc2s.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p6mUYAAy7NX.jpgAsí lucía en 2014 lago y vertedero de la presa #Oroville ; hoy está al 101% de su capacidad por las lluvias torrenciales de los últimos días. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5fUoAA98zb.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5lVUAA5s_5.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5cVMAACc2s.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p6mUYAAy7NX.jpgAsí lucía en 2014 lago y vertedero de la presa #Oroville ; hoy está al 101% de su capacidad por las lluvias torrenciales de los últimos días. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5fUoAA98zb.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5lVUAA5s_5.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p5cVMAACc2s.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-p6mUYAAy7NX.jpg#OrovilleSpillway Oroville went for Trump ..Probably the work of Jerry Brown http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-wMQUcAAzVUq.jpg#OrovilleDam keep in mind there is another dam/diversion area only a mile downstream. And area is saturated. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-3SEVYAAvfw-.jpgFor those trying to understand the #OrovilleDam situation in #California , this #diagram should help. #evacuation #OrovilleSpillway #Oroville http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-5D2VMAE7nlV.jpgShelter rules for those evacuating from #Oroville to #chicoca @theorion_news http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-tIZVUAAAMTY.jpgConcrete top of emergency spillway at #OrovilleDam holds back about 30 vertical feet of lake http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g5xfjUEAAxSc8.jpgFlooding projection if auxiliary spillway fails at #OrovilleDam per @sacbee_news & @CAL_FIRE . Bee says 162,000 ppl likely evacuated. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-UgFVYAAZ0ZO.jpg#OrovilleDam Why is the dam failing now? Wettest year on record.

Source: bit.ly/1CK8D7z http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-8ShVUAES0DK.jpgPhoto via @chrismartenson

See comments section.

#Oroville

<a href="https://t.co/bwzsV3m0nT" title="https://www.peakprosperity.com/dailydigest/107073/daily-digest-211-reclaiming-native-ground-should-cash-abolished#comment -203954">peakprosperity.com/dailydigest/10… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g9vAjVcAEOgfP.jpgOld aerial on @ucdavis site shows spillway (far left) would spill a lot of water but not everything. #OrovilleDam goo.gl/9edaOj http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g-7OiUcAAR5u2.jpg#OrovilleDam coverage from 2 days ago. Holds drinking water for millions in California msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g_2D8WMAEiRov.jpg#CaliforniaTown Given One Hour to Evacuate Before Dam Spillway Collapses #Oroville ... gaming.trendolizer.com/2017/02/califo… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hANkAWAAAaqSW.jpgIs this CA's busted #OrovilleDam flooding Oroville?



That coz CA malfeasance, not #ClimateChange .



@TheDailyClimate @TedGroschScifi http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hAWIHVcAMzN52.jpgI repeat this is not a drill!!

Dam will hold but the lake's about to overflow & the safety's broken

Evacuate!!

#OrovilleDam

#TheResistance http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hAh92XUAAOIdh.jpgHow damage to #OrovilleDam 's main spillway turned into a crisis #America disaster.trendolizer.com/2017/02/how-da… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hAdXbWAAQ4Ob2.jpg7pm lake level still slightly over capacity but inflow is dropping.. they'll be ok *if* emerg/aux dirt spillway holds.. big if #OrovilleDam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hAk_hUEAET_u2.jpgSome strong language coming from @NWSSacramento regarding #OrovilleDam . Evacuations issued ahead of spillway failure from excess water. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hAjcFXAAAgsoZ.jpgTo be concise per @CA_DWR #OrovilleDam structure is sound, new auxiliary spillway is damaged, repairs underway. Image via @NWSSacramento http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hAc2BUcAAxvV8.jpgMandatory evacuation for populations from #Oroville south to the #sutter line. The #orovilledam … www.instagram.comFrom one of our based members at Reddit on r/the_donald on how the dam got to this sad state of affairs. #orovilledam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBMyJUYAAT_o3.jpgLay of the land in Oroville... #OrovilleDam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBCCHUkAABZMc.jpg#orovilledam another graphic & with more notations & showing area of concern (parking lot left of emergency spillway)

@GregCook2011 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBKvIUcAEM7g8.jpgAccording to @CA_DWR , to be clear #OrovilleDam structure is sound, new #Oroville spillway is damaged, repairs underway. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBYqdUcAAvdOh.jpg#USA : #Oroville Dam Fails: #YubaCity , #Oroville Immediate Evacuation All Residents! http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBVUIWIAA9rSH.jpgIn #Oroville area, water flows down spillway as nearby residents rush to evacuate... thetimestimes.trendolizer.com/2017/02/in-oro… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBmBsWMAAw3Nh.jpgMass evacuations below #OrovilleDam ; roads jammed thetimestimes.trendolizer.com/2017/02/mass-e… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBnhrXUAAY5LC.jpgHow damage to #OrovilleDam 's main spillway turned into a crisis #America thetimestimes.trendolizer.com/2017/02/how-da… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBsZWWcAAb50v.jpgVideo: Official update on the threatened #OrovilleDam spillway thetimestimes.trendolizer.com/2017/02/video-… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBt1wWAAAjwJG.jpg#Desarrollo Aliviaderos de la presa de #Oroville han sido abiertos para evitar colapso del vertedero. Continua evacuación de la zona. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBktcWMAAbDKU.jpgSandbags, rocks used to try to stave off failure of #OrovilleDam spillway thetimestimes.trendolizer.com/2017/02/sandba… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hBvZTWcAIMJN8.jpg#BREAKING : Evacuation order for all residents downstream of #OrovilleDam . Spillway Failure expected within hour. *"NOT A DRIlL" http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hB3VlUMAACz-D.jpgThe gov is not being forth coming . Go figure ... what else is new. #Evacuate #Oroville Dam area !!! #California http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hB6FOWYAAO00q.jpgEveryone. I am in yuba city. 30 miles south of oroville. We can't even move. Evacuating happening. #OrovilleDam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hChdFUEAAfieC.jpg#Sacramento #mayor says ‘no imminent threat’ to capital city if #Oroville spillway... disaster.trendolizer.com/2017/02/sacram… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hCxLHW8AAG-Qn.jpgHere's a diagram of the #OrovilleDam . The actual dam itself is safe but the emergency spillway could fail http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4g8r4NVUAAKjAg.jpgThis is happening - spillway failure is expected, dam still okay. Mass evacuations are underway #OrovilleDam #fail http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDA7aVUAEev3p.jpgAutoridades de #California emiten orden de evacuación para residentes cerca a #presa #Oroville x falla en estructura del vertedero auxiliar http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDHlSUYAAgkgh.jpgA 30-ft drop in #Oroville lake level times 15,000-ac lake area suggests 450,000 AF flood bit.ly/2lzmGdS http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDCNIW8AksAGZ.jpg#Oroville acaba de convertirse en TT ocupando la 10ª posición en Chile. Más en trendinalia.com/twitter-trendi… #trndnl http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDEN3VMAAVujh.jpgTwit 21:27, Adelle desentona, a Metallica no le funciona micrófono y falla represa #Oroville , @sergiomelnick1 necesitamos explicación http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDcGpW8AAx9c6.jpgSomeone got a little ahead of themselves on Wikipedia on the Oroville Dam page ???????? #OrovilleDam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDbdTUMAAEOh_.jpg⚠️????????????⛈????????#DisastersListO CA authorities issued an evacuation order impacting areas downriver of #OrovilleDam @ snow-brains.com/emergency-evac… ????????????⚠️???? http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDcSzVUAAyie-.jpgAnother Evac Center (red X) set up at Neighborhood Church for #OrovilleSpillway 2801 Notre Dame Blvd, Chico, CA. Northwest of Oroville. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDbjiUcAQMdNw.jpgIronically...even the #emergency manages have to watch commercials...



#Oroville

#Dam

#EmergencySpillway

#Evacuation

#California http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDh5pUMAAH9UP.jpgEveryone in #YubaCity #Oroville #Marysville take evacuations serious pls #OrovilleDam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDjyRUkAA0XZJ.jpgWhere is #LakeOroville and the #OrovilleDam ? thetimestimes.trendolizer.com/2017/02/where-… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hEHZ8WIAAWM2D.jpg.@usbr #OrovilleDam spillway patch & vegetation growth. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hEncfUEAErwPh.jpgThousands told to leave their homes near huge California dam #OrovilleDam



ksl.com/?sid=43166169&… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hE1VuUEAAaBV8.jpgEveryone in #YubaCity #Oroville #Marysville take evacuations serious pls #OrovilleDam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hExJFWMAIosNA.jpg⚠️????????????⛈????????#DisastersListO CA authorities issued an evacuation order impacting areas downriver of #OrovilleDam @ snowbrains.com/emergency-evac… ????????⚠️???? http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFB9YUYAA8Vt0.jpgThousand #Evacute as #LakeOroville #Spillway [NOT DAM] is expected to fail. Please keep them in your thoughts! #LESM ow.ly/QbrA308Wm4r http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hE6vXVcAIJZ06.jpgUpdate from DWR on #OrovilleDam



Dam itself is stable. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hE6dyUkAE6tOl.jpg#Oroville acaba de convertirse en TT ocupando la 10ª posición en Chile. Más en trendinalia.com/twitter-trendi… #trndnl http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hDEN3VMAAVujh.jpgULTIMA HORA: Evacuación obligatoria en #Oroville -#EEUU tras amenaza de que ceda el vertedero auxiliar de las aguas del lago. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFNepWYAUM4jc.jpgPlease pray 4 Oroville & Butte Co in CA. An emergency spillway for Oroville dam has eroded & is compromised. Evacuations underway. #Oroville http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFdUYUYAA07Hv.jpgMASSIVE FLOOD THREAT: California spillway failure "imminent" - breaking911.com/urgent-orovill… #OrovilleDam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFauHWQAIIycv.jpg#oroville es ahora una tendencia en Chile



trendsmap.com/r/CL_fpzgbz http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFbqeXUAAjArC.jpg2/2 As the lake reached 100+% water began to flow over the emergency spillway on its own. Mother Nature activated the spillway #orovilledam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFQWUUYAIZEqE.jpgThe News keeps saying DWR activated the emergency spillway. That spillway is self activating. 1/2 #orovilledam http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFQWtUYAAdteZ.jpgLine to get into Chico fairgrounds where #OrovilleDam spillway evacuees are told to go. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFmHlUkAExpoM.jpgThis was Lake #oroville in may 2015 #OrovilleDam @paulstorms http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFj6vWAAAu1R_.jpg#OrovilleDam Spillway Failure

LIVE STREAM ONLINE



heavy.com/news/2017/02/w… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFjORUcAANuBx.jpgEvacuation CHAOS as California dam on verge of FAILING, putting thousands of lives at risk #OrovilleDam bit.ly/2ki85D7 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hFqdYXAAA6VEN.jpg#OrovilleDam Auxillary Spillway erosion from #AtmosphericRiver deluge prompts massive evacuation amid Flood Warnings

sacbee.com/news/state/cal… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hEwn2VUAAcFmp.jpgÚltimo minuto: Ordenan la evacuación urgente del pueblo de #Oroville en #California ya que #Represa #Oroville está a punto de colapsar http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQMWYAA0e8_.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQNWcAEe7fR.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQQWYAI00Gq.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQTWIAIGx3v.jpgÚltimo minuto: Ordenan la evacuación urgente del pueblo de #Oroville en #California ya que #Represa #Oroville está a punto de colapsar http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQMWYAA0e8_.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQNWcAEe7fR.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQQWYAI00Gq.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQTWIAIGx3v.jpgÚltimo minuto: Ordenan la evacuación urgente del pueblo de #Oroville en #California ya que #Represa #Oroville está a punto de colapsar http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQMWYAA0e8_.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQNWcAEe7fR.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQQWYAI00Gq.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQTWIAIGx3v.jpgDowntown Oroville tonight http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hC8OFVUAAJSEQ.jpgÚltimo minuto: Ordenan la evacuación urgente del pueblo de #Oroville en #California ya que #Represa #Oroville está a punto de colapsar http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQMWYAA0e8_.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQNWcAEe7fR.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQQWYAI00Gq.jpg">http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4hGPQTWIAIGx3v.jpg