Local officials had warned the rupture could happen at any moment.
The risk of a Nashville, IL dam break is now under control following a once-in-a-century rainfall, which led to some flooding and forced evacuations, officials reported.
NASHVILLE, Ill. — After significant rainfall caused a reservoir dam to overflow and prompted the evacuation of residents in a small Illinois city on Tuesday morning, local officials now confirm that the situation is under control.
Monday and Tuesday’s extensive rain overtopped the dam, flooding downstream areas and forcing residents in Nashville, Illinois to evacuate. Alex Haglund, a spokesperson for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, stated that around 200 residences were considered at risk of flooding. Emergency responders assisted, evacuating residents from the downstream area, some of whom encountered waist-high water in their homes. Among the evacuees was one woman who required rescue.
Although the immediate danger has been managed, several roads remain closed in the area, including Interstate 64 between the Nashville and Ashley exits. Residents are advised to avoid traveling on the roads if possible.
Local officials had previously warned of an imminent rupture. The Washington County Emergency Management Agency urgently posted on Facebook, advising immediate evacuation.
Washington County was under a flash flood warning until 4:30 p.m. CT after the region received over 5 inches of rain within six hours, resembling a 100-year rainfall event, which is statistically likely to occur only once every century.
These extreme rainfall events reflect the impacts of climate change. As the planet warms from fossil fuel pollution, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, resulting in intense rainfall.
After the heavy rain on Tuesday morning, more precipitation is expected overnight, though a break from the heaviest rain is anticipated later in the day.
So far, there have been no injuries or deaths reported due to this emergency. It remains unclear if the evacuation order is still in effect as of Tuesday early evening.
Nashville, which has a population of 3,105 according to the US Census Bureau, is located in southeast Illinois, approximately 50 miles east of St. Louis.
On July 26, 2022, a secondary dam on the city reservoir was breached after over four inches of rain fell near Nashville within 12 hours, leading to a 6-foot breach and flooding nearly 40 acres of land between Ashley, Illinois, and Nashville, according to Washington County records.
CNN has reached out to officials in Nashville and Washington County for updates.
This situation is still developing.
Rewritten from contributions by CNN’s Eric Zerkel, Christina Zdanowicz, Sara Smart, and CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.