Heavy rains have prompted authorities to evacuate parts of a central Virginia city in case a dam fails and floods the area.
A failure of the College Lake Dam near Lynchburg could flood the city with five metres of water in seven minutes, news outlets reported Thursday evening, citing statements from the National Weather Service (NSW).
The service said county officials reported the dam’s “imminent failure” at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
Here’s the latest images from the area near the dam:
The Lynchburg Water Resources Department said up to 15 centimetres of rain fell Thursday, causing College Lake to fill beyond its capacity. It said up to 46 centimetres of lake water overflowed onto a road and into a nearby creek.
Lynchburg has a population of about 80,000.
Some roads already flooded
The Lynchburg Department of Emergency Services said areas near the dam were being evacuated Thursday night, although it was unclear how many people that involved.
(CBC)
Several roads already were flooded or closed at that time, with local fire and police departments sending out boats and squads to rescue people.
The NWS issued a flash flood watch for the area that lasts until 11 a.m. Friday.
Local fire and police were sending boats to rescue people and take them to area shelters.
A deluge of rain in Virginia has prompted evacuations below an overflowing dam in Lynchburg. The National Weather Service said up to 15 centimetres of rain fell within hours, filling the dam beyond capacity. (City of Lynchburg )