Isaac’s Version Of The Levees Breaking…

…could be the Lake Tangipahoa Dam, which is apparently about to break and they’re evacuating between 50,000 and 60,000 people between Kentwood and Robert along the Tangipahoa River.

WWL-TV had the story earlier…

The dam was supposed to be repaired this winter and the lake drained; the arrival of Isaac on the scene couldn’t have come at a worse time.

WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge has more…

Officials said Mississippi Emergency Management notified GOHSEP and Tangipahoa Parish Government about the concern at Lake Tangipahoa at Percy Quinn State Park.

Pike County Civil Defense said the dam is still holding but there is concern it could give way.

Out of caution, Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess issued the mandatory evacuation order. About 60,000 people from Percy Quin to Kentwood are being asked leave.

If residents in Osyka were flooded by the 1997 or 2002 floods, they need to evacuate immediately. If residents in Kentwood were flooded by the 1990 or 1983 floods, they need to evacuate immediately.

Shelter locations are as follows:

Hammond West Side Elementary Montessori School
Hammond Jr. High Magnet School
Natalbany Elementary School
Nesom Middle School
Amite High School
Kentwood High Magnet School

According to WLBT in Jackson, MS, Pike County Emergency Manager Richard Coghlan said there is no seepage, the spillways are working, levees have not been overtopped and crews are lowering the level of Lake Tangipahoa.

He said two portions of the backside of the dam received significant damage from the rains, but that no water is leaking.

Burgess and Gov. Bobby Jindal have called a news conference in Amite. It is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

If the dam does fail, the crest forecast would rise to 21.5 feet. That woud break the record crest of 18.7 feet.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for southwestern Pike County in southern Mississippi after the emergency management officials determined the dam would probably fail.

Forecasters expect severe flooding downstream along the Tangipahoa River from west of the McComb Airport and Magnolia to Osyka.

The water level is expected to rise nearly eight feet below the dam to six feet at Osyka. The river stage at Osyka is currently 14.8 feet.

The weather service said this is a flash flood emergency for all low-lying areas along the Tangipahoa River, including Osyka.

 

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