A dam is failing in South Australia and The State Emergency Service has warned residents it will threaten them and their family’s safety.
The privately-owned dam is located only 500 metres from Echunga (a small town south of Adelaide) and holds about 10 megalitres of water, according to State Emergency Services State Duty Officer David O’Shannessy.
Which, for those of you who aren’t maths girlies, translates to 10 *million* litres. Fkn terrifying.
O’Shannessy told ABC Radio Adelaide that SES was made aware that some of the dam’s walls showed signs of structural failures, and crews worked through the night to keep it standing.
“We are doing everything we can to mitigate that risk,” O’Shannessy said, per ABC.
“We’re doing controlled releases of water, we’ve got engineers involved, we’ve got other experts involved.”
The controlled release of water will help drain water that would exceed the capacity of the town’s drainage system, so it doesn’t flood.
Locals have been forced to evacuate to Echunga Football Club. One resident we spoke to said her house was in the direct firing line of the flooding and got told to flee for safety. They’ve been told they could be here for up to 3 hours, while they wait for news. @9NewsAdel pic.twitter.com/kNIyFgnwbj
— Kelly Hughes (@KellyCHughes_) September 27, 2022
If the dam falls, it would affect the central township of Echunga — though there’s a good chance SES’s efforts will come through and avoid any flooding.
“If you are in the area you just need to follow any emergency plan you might have, prepare your home for flooding, but really we’re just asking people to move out of the area,” O’Shannessy said.
“We don’t think it’s inevitable that this will happen but we just want people to be prepared that if it were to happen they’re just not in the area.”
The SES website has urged residents prepare their emergency flood plans or evacuate immediately, but only if the path to their next location will definitely remain clear.
Anyone evacuating should make sure the coast is clear because police have closed a bunch of roads, including Aldgate-Strathalbyn Road at Echunga Road, Echunga Road at Aldgate-Strathalbyn Road, Battunga Road at Meadows Road, Strathalbyn at Sophia Street and Churchill Road at Old Mount Barker Road.
SES also cautioned that flood waters might rise rapidly and will probably be fast moving. As always, do not walk, drive or ride through floodwaters! Even if you’re trying to evacuate!
For those who can, residents should relocate to friends’ or family’s homes outside the warning zones. Otherwise, evacuees can also go to the Echunga Football Club.
