Early Wednesday morning, reports flooded in from the National Weather Service of a leaking dam in Midlothian, Texas. Officials were concerned that the dam, located in a Dallas suburb, would burst. However, after a couple of hours of monitoring the structure, they redacted that statement and said instead that the window for immediate dam failure had passed, and that the levee will hold. They are still waiting on official word from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to guarantee that statement.
The National Weather Servic e was prepared to close nearby roads and evacuate the citizens, as they expected the nearby areas to be covered in more than 15 feet of water when the barrier broke. They did notify nearby residents and they moved livestock to higher ground.
The dam is reportedly overflowing slightly from the increasing downpour of rain in the Texas area. Officials have been attempting to stop any leaking for several days now by draining it from the bottom Monday. See the footage of the leaking barricade here on WFAA .
Stephanie Parker, emergency management coordinator for Ellis County, claims that the issue is under control. Her crews are working to pump the lake to lower the water levels to a safer height, and that the leaking water was not a danger to nearby residents. She told CBS , “All of us are watching it very closely. The best case scenario is happening and we hope it continues to do so.”
However, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the Midlothian, Texas area Wednesday morning in case the levee decided to break after all. The area is mostly farmland, but there are a few residents in the area, and they were told to evacuate until the water levels were at a more manageable level.
Officials have their fingers crossed that the dam will hold as expected. Texas has experienced their share of tragedies, according to this post published previously on the Inquistr , and a tragedy like this would be catastrophic, to say the least, possibly taking hundreds more lives.
The death toll from this weekend’s raging storms has risen to 17 in the Texas area and 14 in Mexico, and it’s not over yet. There are still several people missing, and the weather isn’t going to lighten up any time soon. This Thursday, meteorologists are forecasting rain, hail, high winds, and tornadoes to encompass much of the southern United States surrounding Texas and the northern region of Mexico.
For now, experts are keeping a close eye on the leaking Midlothian, Texas dam and advise all residents in the area to prepare for the upcoming severe weather.
[Image via Breaking News]
