Floods & Landslides

Re: Dam failure and flooding

Here is a recent Sott-article:

https://www.sott.net/article/342450-Californias-Oroville-Dam-too-full-spillway-fails-from-sinkhole-damage-Update-evacuations-ordered-downstream


https://youtu.be/eIQpbylBtbg

Beside the sott comment:

The sheriff in Butte County, California has ordered an immediate evacuation of all people below the damaged Oroville dam, which is feared to be in danger of imminent collapse, Reuters reports.

"Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered. This is NOT A Drill. This is NOT A Drill. This in NOT A Drill," says the statement posted on the Butte County Sheriff's Facebook page.

The statement refers to the Lake Oroville Dam, located 105 km (65 miles) north of Sacramento.

The dam's spillway was "predicted to fail within the next hour," the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) said at around 4:30pm PST Sunday (00:30 GMT Monday).

"DO NOT TRAVEL NORTH TOWARD OROVILLE," the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services said on Facebook, urging evacuees to travel safely in all other directions and help the elderly.

Update (06:56 GMT)

At least 188,000 residents evacuated as water continues to burst through an eroded spillway - prompting fears of massive floods

Officials have ordered at least 188,000 residents near the Oroville Dam with no word yet when evacuations will be lifted because of the uncertainty about the condition of the dam's spillway, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

Releases through the dam's main, heavily damaged spillway increased to 100,000 cubic feet per second from 55,000 cubic feet per second on Sunday to try to drain Lake Oroville before a failure occurs, said the California Department of Water Resources. Water falling over the Oroville Dam's emergency spillway has stopped as Oroville lake levels dropped low enough.

Lake levels fell for the first time since Saturday and will now allow for inspection of the area. The threat of collapse due to erosion has diminished, said officials at a recent press conference.

On Sunday night, state water authorities used helicopters to drop containers of boulders to fill in the 250-foot-long, 170-foot-wide hole in the main spillway to stabilize the problem.

The cost of repairing a gaping hole in the spillway for the tallest dam in the United States could reach $200million.

Another storm is predicted to hit the area in a few days, which means California's Department of Water Resources will have to continuously monitor inflows into Lake Oroville.
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

Oroville residents returning to their home say they're happy the evacuation order was lifted, but understand why it was imposed.

Oroville Dam evacuees told they can return home
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132705659.html

With the crisis at the Oroville Dam stabilized for now, authorities announced Tuesday that the 188,000 people evacuated Sunday will be allowed to return to their homes but should prepare to move again if a new emergency arises.

The announcement by Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea, who ordered the mass exodus Sunday afternoon amid fears that the dam’s emergency spillway might collapse, came in a 1:40 p.m. press briefing in Oroville.

“The risks that we faced have significantly been reduced...,” Honea said. “We have concluded that it is safe to reduce the immediate evacuation order to an evacuation warning.”

The sheriff said residents could begin returning home immediately, but he urged them to remain alert for the possibility that an emergency may require another evacuation.

Despite that, officials said they are confident that the steps taken to repair the hillside along the emergency spillway – using helicopters to dump boulders into holes and pour concrete on top of the piles – have made the structure safe in the event that the emergency spillway must be used again.

They also said such a scenario is highly unlikely, with the next series of storms predicted to be much weaker than previous ones.

Authorities also revealed that inspections since Sunday showed that “there was no piping or other erosion that compromised the overall integrity of the emergency spillway” and that action taken to fill in holes and erosion from water releases have strengthened it.


Helicopters carried boulders and blocks of concrete onto Oroville's damaged emergency spillway Tuesday in advance of rains predicted for later in the week.

Oroville Dam operators say they’re ready for next key hurdle: Wednesday night’s storm
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article132787074.html

There’s another storm bearing down on troubled Oroville Dam, set to begin late Wednesday. But state officials say they believe the precipitation will be mild enough – and the reservoir empty enough – to handle this latest challenge.

The crisis at Oroville Dam continued to ease Tuesday. The dam’s heavily damaged main spillway was still able to expel water at 100,000 cubic feet per second, as it has around the clock since Sunday afternoon, with no apparent signs of significant new erosion. For a second day, crews worked to pack the crevice that formed last weekend in the hillside beneath the dam’s crippled emergency spillway, using helicopters and dump trucks to spread a mixture of boulders and concrete over the eroded section.

“We’re continuing to make significant gains in removing water from the reservoir, which drops the water surface elevation (and is) further reducing the risk to our situation here,” said Bill Croyle, acting director of the state Department of Water Resources, in an afternoon news briefing.

Enough progress has been made that Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties rescinded the mandatory evacuation orders issued Sunday afternoon, allowing an estimated 180,000 downstream residents to return home.

“The risks that we faced when we initiated those evacuations have been significantly reduced,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.


​At Tyler Island, crews were working frantically Tuesday to patch a leaky levee in the hopes of saving around 20 homes from being inundated

Oroville Dam isn’t the only piece of California flood infrastructure under strain
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article132779679.html

All eyes have been on the crisis at Oroville Dam, but weeks of wet weather have put pressure elsewhere on the network of levees and dams protecting cities and farms in California’s vast Central Valley flood plain.

Almost all of the major reservoirs that ring the Valley have filled to the point that officials have cranked up releases to catch water from a storm building up off California’s coast that’s expected to hit Wednesday night.

Most of the river flows below the dams haven’t exceeded the capacity of the levees that line their channels, and independent experts say California’s flood-control network has endured the exceptionally wet winter rather well.

But some levees, including those that protect the Sacramento region, are showing signs of the strain as prolonged heavy river flows push back.

“That groaning sound you’re hearing throughout the Central Valley isn’t the dams – it’s the levees,” said Jeffrey Mount, the former director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. “We’re stressing them pretty well right now. And, just as you’d expect, issues are starting to crop up.”

The most obvious of those near Sacramento is in the northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Fearing a dangerous levee-cracking “flood pulse,” workers this weekend intentionally breached a levee along the Mokelumne River in the north Delta. The breach flooded the levee-ringed McCormack-Williamson Tract of farmland near Walnut Grove in Sacramento County.

A bit farther south at Tyler Island, crews were working frantically Tuesday to patch a levee in the hopes of saving around 20 homes from being inundated from what officials described as an imminent collapse.

On Tuesday, crews used a crane to scoop huge loads of stone from a barge onto the huge crater that had formed in the levee, taking most of a gravel road with it.

“The key is we’ve got to get weight on this thing,” said Steve Mello, a Tyler Island resident and a trustee of the local reclamation district. He had no estimate when residents could return to their homes.

Mount said he expects more trouble to pop up along Delta levees in the weeks ahead from the continual rush of powerful flows from the estuary’s two primary rivers – the Sacramento and San Joaquin.

Mount said the flows from the rivers and tributaries such as the Mokelumne have fueled powerful tides from the Pacific Ocean that are pushing back in the other direction.

“The Delta is basically in a hydrological vise right now,” he said.

With potentially months left of rain and runoff from melting mountain snow, crews are already working round the clock to patrol the levees looking for breaches along the 70 levee-ringed tracts of land that make up the Delta, said Erik Vink, executive director of the Delta Protection Commission. These tracts are commonly called “islands” because they’re surrounded by canals, sloughs and channels.

“There’s certainly a lot of vigilance right now,” he said. “People are keeping a really close eye out, and they’re prepared to shift into flood-fight mode at a moment’s notice. There’s just a lot of water out there.”

Of particular concern both in and out of the Delta is the San Joaquin River, which is flowing higher than it has in years. Some buildings along its banks west of Turlock already have flooded. On Tuesday, officials issued a flood warning along the river southwest of Manteca.

Meanwhile, a key tributary of San Joaquin River – the Tuolumne River – has strained the regional flood-protection system east of Modesto to the brink.


Locals have been nervously watching the precariously full Don Pedro Reservoir. The reservoir, which has more than twice the capacity of Folsom Lake, was less than 3 feet from being completely full on Tuesday.

Operators of New Don Pedro Dam have their fingers crossed that the approaching storm follows Tuesday’s forecast: a relatively cold storm that will dump snow in the Sierra Nevada instead of the warm rain and melting snow that could prompt huge releases at the lake. That would overwhelm the small Tuolumne River channel and flood part of Modesto.

As it stood Tuesday, forecasts pointed to the lake avoiding such problems for the next 16 days, said Calvin Curtin, a spokesman for the Turlock Irrigation District, which manages the dam.

“It will be extremely close, but ... it’s not projected to spill at this point,” he said.

Closer to Sacramento, local levees were showing signs of stress, but experts weren’t worried.

“Sacramento has a lot of protection,” said Joe Countryman, a member of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and a former engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He said the region has performed substantial levee upgrades over the years. Sacramento also is protected by a robust system of outlets that spill major Sacramento and American river flows in the massive engineered Yolo Bypass flood plain west of the city.

But Countryman added, “You have levees, you have water – you’re going to have seepage.”

That was evident Monday when crews began emergency work along the Sacramento River to cork three boils that formed along a levee near the confluence of the Feather River north of Sacramento International Airport. Boils form when water seeps under the levee and eventually pushes its way to the land side, creating a small geyser. Local flood officials said they believed they had the problem under control.
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl7Sm15unPQ
Dam engineer interview for Oroville dam from Feb 13.
Apologies if previously posted. His explanation is great for non engineers
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

LATEST Oroville Dam Update - February 15, 2017 Press Conference
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mp_YhYHJWM

Meanwhile:

Biggest storm of winter' to unleash flooding rain in California at week’s end (Videos and Links)
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
February 15, 2017, 9:13:34 PM EST
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/biggest-storm-of-winter-to-unleash-flooding-rain-in-california-at-weeks-end/70000864
A new train of storms has arrived along the Pacific coast, and a potent one is set to hit California hard with heavy rain, mountain snow and strong winds during the latter part of this week.

The first storm will focus on areas from Northern California to Washington into Thursday. The second storm in the series will focus most of its moisture on Southern California from Thursday night to Saturday.

"The late-week storm has the potential to be the biggest of the winter in terms of rainfall and impact to much of Southern California," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jim Andrews.

90


90

The storm will bring enough rain and excess runoff to cause flash flooding, which can cause major delays for motorists. Along with the heavy rain will be the potential for mudslides in some neighborhoods, especially in recent burn scar locations.
"We expect 3 to 6 inches of rain to fall in the lowlands along the coast and over the Los Angeles basin," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark. "From 6 to 12 inches of rain is likely below snow levels in the mountains, especially along the south-facing slopes."
90

Another storm will roll ashore from the Pacific during Sunday night. However, most effects from the storm will be focused from Northern California to Washington during the first half of next week.

As a result of the ongoing storms, more challenges are ahead for crews, officials residents in the Oroville, California, area. Damage to the spillway at the Oroville Dam forced evacuations earlier this week.

Rainfall from the storms through Friday have the potential to aggravate the situation around Oroville and other reservoirs filled to capacity in Northern California. Additional rainfall will force officials to release more water downstream. Some of these rivers are already at flood stage.

The rainfall to end this week will take another big chunk out of the drought over Southern California.

Total rainfall since Dec. 1 over much of Southern California has ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 times that of average.

Reality Check:
Update: "ROCK SHOT" at Oroville Dam: Repair before more rain overtops spillway again
https://www.sott.net/article/342728-Update-ROCK-SHOT-at-Oroville-Dam-Repair-before-more-rain-overtops-spillway-again

https://youtu.be/FTaSmqru8mM


Jerry Brown
@JerryBrownGov
_https://twitter.com/JerryBrownGov?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
C4qr-yFUoAAAaf7.jpg


Paul Preston- Oroville Update (2-16-17)

https://youtu.be/vCZrBEKzeNE
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

Crews are working around the clock to shore up the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway, as several inches of rainfall are expected through next week and could threaten the beleaguered reservoir.

Eye of the Storm: Oroville Dam to be Tested by Three Storms in One Week
https://sputniknews.com/us/201702171050769302-oroville-dam-three-storms-threat/

A trio of storm systems are set to barrage Northern California over the next couple of days. The first started Wednesday night and rain will continue until at least Tuesday, Feb 21. Forecasters are confident that the dam can handle the first two storms, but the third could be trouble, as it is expected to be the largest, and warmest, of the three.

"The third wave is looking like our problem child," said Michelle Mead, a warning-coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

Oroville Dam is America's tallest dam, and the twentieth tallest in the world. The 40-year-old dam saw a hole form on Saturday in its emergency spillway, due to erosion and mismanagement. Fears that the entire dam could fail led to the state to evacuate nearly 188,000 downstream Californians.

After several days of emergency repairs, including a fleet of helicopters dropping stones into the spillway hole, state authorities allowed evacuees to return to their homes on Tuesday. The state continues to work to repair the dam's spillway, moving an estimated 1,200 tons of rock every hour into the spillway.

The rain will slow the repair efforts, however. Wet, muddy conditions will threaten heavy machinery and workers on the ground, while strong winds may ground helicopters. However, engineers are confident that the dam will hold through the storms.

On Wednesday, authorities in Butte County (where the dam is located) filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require the state to address the dam's deficiencies. "Butte County and others have warned of the potentially catastrophic consequences of DWR's [California Department of Water Resource] failure to adequately address dam safety issues at the Oroville Project, and we are now facing the consequences of DWR's short-sighted approach," Butte County counsel Bruce Alpert wrote.

Butte County, as well as other county governments and independent environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, urged the state to inspect the dam as far back as 2005. They were concerned that the dam could fail in the event of heavy rains due to erosion. The DWR repeatedly rebuked these claims.
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

stellar said:
Kinda give new meaning to 'California sinking'. :/

I had the same thoughts - maybe "California falling into the ocean" can happen from another direction - from inside. After so many years of drought nobody thought that one day the waters will flood the arid lands and soak them beyond capacity, even if there were some warning signs lately.
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

Rainfall Projections Will Overtop Emergency Spillway by 13 Feet at Oroville Dam 1-16-17

https://youtu.be/CgBW09wd5so


**Water Weight** triggers quakes near damaged Oroville Dam!
Published on Feb 16, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J0OnCTCDgo
Feb. 16, 2017: (Yes, we are well aware of the fact that earthquakes are quite common in California) TWO (2) earthquakes were detected by the USGS right next to the damaged #Oroville Dam. The report states, due the the recent WATER WEIGHT TRANSFER, the tremendous surface pressure more than likely triggered the quakes. **More can be expected.**

Sacramento Bee
How full are Northern California reservoirs and rivers? (And other related News)
February 16, 2017 3:25 PM
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article133224899.html
Snip:
These three graphs show key California reservoir conditions and river stages for the upper and lower Sacramento Valley. The images are from the California Department of Water Resources’ Data Exchange Center and the National Weather Service.

RESERVOIR CONDITIONS:
Updated graphs are available here, at “Selected Reservoirs Daily Graphs.”
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/reservoir.html

Sac. Bee
Oroville Dam: ‘The threat level – it is much, much, much lower’ (10:16 PM 1-16-17 Video)
_http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article133078564.html
Snippy:
OROVILLE
After four days of relentless pounding on Oroville Dam, its operators dialed back water releases on the heavily damaged main spillway Thursday, even as forecasts show another “atmospheric river” poised to strike the region early next week.

Feeling confident they’ve created sufficient empty space in Lake Oroville for the time being, state Department of Water Resources officials said..............
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

At 2:21 one can see the sheer volume, and the energy being released @ 100,000 cfs.

California Storms Response & Recovery Teamwork
Published on Feb 16, 2017
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxRpTwnJPk
photo.jpg

As California continues a massive recovery effort from the damaging impacts of storms in December and January, and with the recently authorized resources from FEMA, activity has is picked up the pace at Cal OES headquarters. The Lake Oroville Emergency Spillway incident is just one in a series of major weather-related issues being coordinated out of the State's Emergency Operations Center in Sacramento. It's critical local, state, federal and non-governmental partners are working together to ensure the readiness for all possibilities. Shawn Boyd has the very latest information in this Cal OES In-depth report.

“We don’t want to be caught flat footed,” said Cal OES director Mark Ghilarducci. “California is very much oriented about public safety and making sure we are as prepared as possible.”

“We are locked at the hip,” Tim Scranton, the FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer, continued.

Scranton says their focus is maintaining situational awareness and supporting the state.

“One of the key factors I need everybody to understand is we don’t come in and take over. We come in and support. So, whatever logistical supplies the state needs any type of organizational structure, personnel what have you, we’re here to support and supply that.”

Last weekend, water in the Oroville Reservoir was rising rapidly, eventually coming over the emergency spillway, causing severe erosion and concern for the state and dam operators.

“We were monitoring the storms and the situation in Oroville as it was developing,” 1533”and then Sunday when we learned there was a potential issue with the dam itself we started deploying assets…”1539

The California Department of Water Resources is also here, setting up a resource center and giving quick access to accurate, reliable information and subject matter experts. A contingent of emergency managers led by Ghilarducci as well as CALFIRE Director Ken Pimlott, California National Guard Adjutant General David Baldwin and Department of Water Resources Acting Director Bill Croyle met with local officials in Oroville on Wednesday.

“We received some really great briefings assurances between us and the County of Butte that we were one team one fight,” Ghilarducci said with confidence. “That the sheriff and DWR folks there had everything they needed and then to reaffirm what the plan was moving forward.”

Work continues with 95 contractors laboring by air and land, dropping rock and concrete into the gaps to fill the voids caused by water escaping the controlled spillway.
Drier weather has allowed DWR to reduce water releases from 100,000 cubic feet per second. Beginning at 9AM Thursday, they dropped rates by 5000cfs every two hours and will that hold once they hit 80,000cfs. That decision considers the heavy rain that’s expected to drop over the next several days. Cal OES, FEMA and the Unified Coordinating Group continue to closely watch developments at Oroville Dam and to support DWR. They’re also working to prepare contingency plans for those impending storms statewide.

“We have enough food and water and supplies for 25,000 people for 5 days, it’s already prepositioned, ready to go,” said Scranton. “And that’s not including what the red cross and other agencies have provided.”

Ghilarducci said “that’s prepositioning resources, making sure we have the right equipment and the right people and the right items in the right place so that we can minimize the time frame it takes to get them in place once we need them.”

For more up-to-date information on efforts in Butte County… be sure to go to _http://caloes.ca.gov/ and click on the Oroville spillway emergency banner for access to our Oroville spillway incident resource page.

On the 10th Feb.

State Agencies Mobilize to Oroville Dam, Strategize Repairs and Rumor Control
Cal OES
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqnfgaFHhZA

Levee patrol underway in Sacramento County
Published on Feb 17, 2017
KCRA News
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeOOyshlEU4
Residents are urged to sign up for emergency alert systems.

Anderson Reservoir In Morgan Hill May Overflow In Latest Storm (California Bay Area)
Published on Feb 17, 2017
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxVIbXcdGug
Officials are concerned about potential flooding in the South Bay, as the Anderson Reservoir near Morgan Hill is expected to overflow. Maria Medina reports. (2/17/17)

Big Sur (Cal coast), 86 mph winds, with mountain gust at 50 mph
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrWaL04NxO8

We are being lied to about the Dam repairs only 8% of the hole was filled 2/16/2017
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw2PqPUebGA
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

FEMA supplies arrive at Travis Air Force Base in case of Oroville emergency (Video)
http://www.kcra.com/article/fema-supplies-arrive-at-travis-air-force-base-in-case-of-oroville-emergency/8944641

Feb 16, 2017 - FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KCRA) —
Big rigs filled with emergency supplies from FEMA have been arriving at Travis Air Force Base since Wednesday night.

“Cots, blankets, water, generators,” said Col. Mike Hames, senior director for FEMA’s Region 9 of the Air Force EPLO (Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers.)

Hames’ job is to help coordinate this partnership between the Air Force and FEMA.

“FEMA has requested to use the Air Force base as a good community partner to assist in providing space, so they can stage their vehicles and supplies here, so they're immediately ready to help the public when needed,” Hames said. “They don't want to be caught too late to the fight, if you will, to get the supplies and such there."

As the trucks make their way onto the base, they're checked in and accounted for by FEMA crews before getting parked and staged in case they need to be sent to Oroville.

“We’re working really closely. We're embedded with our state partners. We're monitoring the situation at the Oroville Dam Spillway in case more federal assistance is needed,” external affairs officer for FEMA Region 9 Veronica Verde said.

The mobilization comes two days after President Donald Trump approved Gov. Jerry Brown's request for a federal emergency declaration in Oroville.

At least 44 trucks and more than two dozen personnel from FEMA are expected to arrive at the base through Friday.

“We'll move them as quickly as we can, as soon as the state says there's a need for them,” Verde said.

With the emergency declaration approved, the state will now be responsible for only a quarter of the costs of these supplies. FEMA will pay for the other 75 percent.

But officials hope none of the trucks have to be deployed to Oroville.

“We are all hoping and keeping our fingers crossed that we won't use any of them and everything stays normal,” Hames said.


Officials at Lake Oroville reduced the rate of water release once again Friday as workers continued make repairs to a damaged spillway and clear debris from a hydroelectric plant.

150,000 cubic yards of debris stand in the way of Oroville Dam's hydroelectric plant restart
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-live-updates-oroville-dam-150-000-cubic-yards-of-debris-stand-in-1487367268-htmlstory.html

State Department of Water Resources engineers will decrease the flow of water in the Oroville Dam's main spillway from 80,000 cubic feet per second to 60,000 by Saturday morning, giving crews space to dredge debris from a pool at the bottom of the spillway, said DWR acting director Bill Croyle.

Engineers had been pumping water out of the lake at 100,000 cfs for several days to make room for incoming storm runoff and to keep the lake from overflowing like it did over the weekend. That overflow badly eroded an emergency spillway and sent debris flowing into a pool at the bottom, forcing the closure of an underground hydroelectric plant.

“This reduction in flow will allow us to work on the debris pile in the spillway,” Croyle told reporters at a news conference. He estimated that 150,000 cubic yards of sediment and debris were in the pool.

The other focus by workers at the dam is the eroded emergency spillway, Croyle said. Rain began falling again in the area on Thursday and it’s not expected to stop until the middle of next week at the earliest.

The heaviest showers are expected Monday and could drop up to 10 inches of rain onto the mountains and foothills that drain into the reservoir, the National Weather Service said.

The storms aren't likely to produce enough runoff to exceed the lake's capacity, Croyle said.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of rocks and concrete slurry have been dropped into four fissures that threatened a retaining wall of the emergency spillway on Sunday. They were 50%, 75%, 90% and 100% full, respectively, Croyle said.

Rain falling onto the slurry and a small stream that had formed on the hillside Friday did not worry DWR engineers, he said.


Citizen journalist, Sean Dennis, has been making videos to keep the public updated on the situation at the Oroville Dam. While reporting in this latest Periscope video, he was informed that the sheriff’s department was looking for him because of his coverage.

Sean Dennis: Live at the Base of the Feather River in Oroville, California
http://www.cyberdurden.com/sean-dennis-live-at-the-base-of-the-feather-river-in-oroville-california/
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

angelburst29 said:
FEMA supplies arrive at Travis Air Force Base in case of Oroville emergency (Video)
http://www.kcra.com/article/fema-supplies-arrive-at-travis-air-force-base-in-case-of-oroville-emergency/8944641

Feb 16, 2017 - FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KCRA) —
Big rigs filled with emergency supplies from FEMA have been arriving at Travis Air Force Base since Wednesday night.

“Cots, blankets, water, generators,” said Col. Mike Hames, senior director for FEMA’s Region 9 of the Air Force EPLO (Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers.)

Hames’ job is to help coordinate this partnership between the Air Force and FEMA.

“FEMA has requested to use the Air Force base as a good community partner to assist in providing space, so they can stage their vehicles and supplies here, so they're immediately ready to help the public when needed,” Hames said. “They don't want to be caught too late to the fight, if you will, to get the supplies and such there."

As the trucks make their way onto the base, they're checked in and accounted for by FEMA crews before getting parked and staged in case they need to be sent to Oroville.

“We’re working really closely. We're embedded with our state partners. We're monitoring the situation at the Oroville Dam Spillway in case more federal assistance is needed,” external affairs officer for FEMA Region 9 Veronica Verde said.

The mobilization comes two days after President Donald Trump approved Gov. Jerry Brown's request for a federal emergency declaration in Oroville.

At least 44 trucks and more than two dozen personnel from FEMA are expected to arrive at the base through Friday.

“We'll move them as quickly as we can, as soon as the state says there's a need for them,” Verde said.

With the emergency declaration approved, the state will now be responsible for only a quarter of the costs of these supplies. FEMA will pay for the other 75 percent.

But officials hope none of the trucks have to be deployed to Oroville.

“We are all hoping and keeping our fingers crossed that we won't use any of them and everything stays normal,” Hames said.


Officials at Lake Oroville reduced the rate of water release once again Friday as workers continued make repairs to a damaged spillway and clear debris from a hydroelectric plant.

Travis Air Force Base
Patriot Wyvern hones 349th AMW readiness skills
_http://www.travis.af.mil/News/Article/1084359/patriot-wyvern-hones-349th-amw-readiness-skills
By Senior Master Sgt. Rachel Martinez, 349th Air Mobility Wing / Published February 14, 2017
170211-F-IQ287-0147.JPG

1 of 21- 349th Aeromedical Staging Squadron Citizen Airmen litter carry simulated tuberculosis patients during a scenario for exercise Patriot Wyvern at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 11, 2017. the 349th ASTS is responsible for the loading and unloading patients from aircraft and administering medical care. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Sam Salopek)
Travis Air Force Base, Calif. --

Citizen Airmen from the 349th Air Mobility Wing took part in a Patriot Wyvern exercise here Feb. 10 – 12, 2017.

Patriot Wyvern, held twice a year, brings together organizations across the unit for the common purpose of ensuring mission-ready Citizen Airmen for worldwide contingency operations. Over the course of the unit training assembly weekend, Airmen received training and were evaluated on both core Air Force Specialty Code skills and general readiness capabilities.

The training exercise was designed to meet objectives of the Air Force Inspection System. This most recent exercise was built around the requirement for an annual readiness assessment. Scenarios were developed that included chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats; ability to survive and operate skills; as well as deployment and re-deployment operations.

“What we like about Patriot Wyvern is that it brings all these organizations together,” said Maj. Sarah Forte, 349th AMW director of inspections. “It incorporates the whole spectrum and cross-talk between organizations. We see what skills and capabilities we bring to the fight when everyone is working together.”

A portion of this weekend’s Patriot Wyvern saw the 349th Medical Group working with the 349th Operations Group to receive and treat simulated aeromedical evacuation patients suspected of biological contamination.

“This exercise gave medical group personnel the opportunity to expand on the mission of preparing for infectious disease management and control,” said Master Sgt. John Mackenzie, 349th Aeromedical Staging Squadron member and medical group facilitator for this exercise. “We’ve never had the opportunity before to coordinate and train with every agency involved in the management process – from receiving the patient, to transporting them, to treating them. It allowed all the participants to see each component and how it all comes together."

The cross-coordination and bigger picture view added tremendous value to these exercises, said Mackenzie.

“We all have our own cogs we are responsible for, and where those cogs touch there can be ambiguity,” he said. “The more we practice together, the more those ambiguities are smoothed out. Each exercise builds on the previous one. If we continue to do that, by the time we have to do this for real, we will be ready.”

The cross-talk and coordination wasn’t limited to units within the 349th AMW. Aerial porters had the opportunity to work with Army Reserve members from the 1349th Transportation Brigade and the 374th Engineer Company. The aerial porters trained on joint inspections of outsized cargo brought in by the Army, and practiced loading and unloading equipment from both the C-5M Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III.

While aerial porters and aircrews practiced those core tasks specific to their career fields, Airmen from the 349th Mission Support Group honed their readiness skills in a variety of training events, beginning with processing for a mock-deployment. Airmen were bussed to a simulated deployed environment where they were met by a Personnel Support for Contingency Operations team and briefed. The participating Airmen then were split into groups and received hands-on training in areas such as land navigation, mounted operations, dismounted operations, escalation of force and building defensive fighting positions.

“We had no idea what to expect coming in to this training, but it was a lot of fun,” said Staff Sgt. Cheyne Baumgart, 349th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. “Everything we did today was outside of our regular realm. We ended up re-learning some concepts from basic training and learning new things."

“Everybody had a good time,” Baumgart added. “The big take-away this weekend was that communication is key. Every situation we were in required lots of communication, and often with people we don’t normally work with.”

Planning for Patriot Wyvern begans about six months in advance beauce of all the units invloved. Point of contacts from each group came together to determine general training objectives and begin the cross-talk between organizations. Members of the wing inspection team then joined the planning process and provided specific exercise injects to meet training objectives.

“Execution is only as good as the planning,” said Tech. Sgt. Taron Collins, 349th Force Support Squadron wing inspection team member. “Planning is 50 percent of it, and execution is the other 50 percent."

Regardless of the amount of planning that goes into each Patriot Wyvern, challenges arose in the execution.

“The challenge always is coordination – getting everything coordinated and communicated with everyone,” said Forte. “We embrace some of those issues because that’s what happens in the real world. So, anytime we have some of those stumbles and people have to work through it, that’s just that many fewer injects that we need to provide to the scenario.”

While there may have been challenges this time, many participants said the training was valuable and that they had a good time.

“In customer service, we can spend most of our typical training weekends in the office,” said Staff Sgt. Angel Rosario, 349th FSS customer service representative. “This was a different scope than what our daily jobs entail. This training was about being ready; readiness for deployments and mobilizations. Everyone seemed to learn a lot of enjoy it.”
“It’s great to get outside, get re-engaged and refocused on what we’re doing in the Reserves – that combat portion of our jobs – and key in on that,” Forte echoed. “We’re testing those skills and making sure we’re ready.”
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

Information feedback in action!

This is what reality is all about.

If the PTB had been on top of this with resources diverted to proper regular maintenance, there would be no crisis to speak of today. Just a bit of strong weather. But the psychopath-leaning mindset has blinders on anything other than immediate reward. -And the happy-bubble dreamer doesn't like to think of anything upsetting, such as scary possible futures which require effort today to deal with, and so if the idea of this exact scenario had been warned against ten years back, some of those bearing more delicate mental constitutions would no doubt have offered any number of offended arguments for why some people were just being too negative in their outlook.

And then the Lesson arrives!

-Why, oh why is there such misery? How could it come to this?

I deal with my own mini-versions of this. A good half of the lousy things I've dealt with in life could likely have been averted with a bit of sleeve-rolling up and getting on with the job when it was still small.

Makes me want to review my to-do list with some vigor. Hmm...
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

Expert: What You Need To Know About The Oroville Dam Crisis
Published on Feb 13, 2017

https://youtu.be/rl7Sm15unPQ
Full Description and Comments at: https://www.peakprosperity.com/podcas...

To make sense of the fast-developing situation at California's Oroville Dam, Chris spoke today with Scott Cahill, an expert with 40 years of experience on large construction and development projects on hundreds of dams, many of them earthen embankment ones like the dam at Oroville. Scott has authored numerous white papers on dam management, he's a FEMA trainer for dam safety, and is the current owner of Watershed Services of Ohio which specializes in dam projects across the eastern US. Suffice it to say, he knows his "dam" stuff.

Scott and Chris talk about the physics behind the failing spillways at Oroville, as well as the probability of a wider-scale failure from here as days of rain return to California.

Sadly, Scott explains how this crisis was easily avoidable. The points of failure in Oroville's infrastructure were identified many years ago, and the cost of making the needed repairs was quite small -- around $6 million. But for short-sighted reasons, the repairs were not funded; and now the bill to fix the resultant damage will likely be on the order of magnitude of over $200 million. Which does not factor in the environmental carnage being caused by flooding downstream ecosystems with high-sediment water or the costs involved with relocating the 200,000 residents living nearby the dam.

Oh, and of course, these projected costs will skyrocket higher should a catastrophic failure occur; which can't be lightly dismissed at this point.

Scott explains to Chris how this crisis is indicative of the neglect of the entire US national dam system. Oroville is one of the best-managed and maintained dams in the country. If it still suffered from too much deferred maintenance, imagine how vulnerable the country's thousands and thousands of smaller dams are. Trillions of dollars are needed to bring our national dams up to satisfactory status. How much else is needed for the country's roads, railsystems, waterworks, power grids, etc?

Both Chris and Scott agree that individuals need to shoulder more personal responsibility for their safety than the government advises, as -- let's face it -- the government rarely admits there's a problem until it's an emergency. Katrina, Fukushima, Oroville -- we need to critically parse the information being given to us when the government and media say 'it's all under control', as well as have emergency preparations already in place should swift action be necessary.
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

Woodsman said:
I deal with my own mini-versions of this. A good half of the lousy things I've dealt with in life could likely have been averted with a bit of sleeve-rolling up and getting on with the job when it was still small.

Makes me want to review my to-do list with some vigor. Hmm...

Absolutely. I have been following the crisis with interest. It does kind of prove the point that Donald Trump is making, and it "couldn't have come at a better time".
 
Re: Dam failure and flooding

C.a. - you often Post a link to the BPEarthWatch website and he just published another excellent update on the flooding conditions in California. His "CURRENT CALIFORNIA RESERVOIR DATA SHEET" shows that the Oroville Dam, is only one area exceeding it's capacity. The Lakes and Reservoirs feeding into the system are also near or over their capacity levels.

LAKE SHASTA /Over 90% Capacity/OROVILLE DAM UpDate!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfgOk2T3cbo (7:10 min.)

Sinkholes are opening up on roadways.

Saturated roadways in CA swallow an *ENTIRE FIRE ENGINE* and 2 cars drop in sinkholes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExI4OYUBJDg (2:53 min.)


MAXWELL, Calif. - Major flooding has left the city of Maxwell beneath water Saturday.

Heavy flooding in Colusa Co., evacuation centers opened in Williams
http://www.krcrtv.com/news/local/northstate/maxwell-heavily-flooded-evacuation-centers-opened-in-williams/342132619

Officials say that the overabundance of water over the last 24 hours, the local creeks and canals were inundated and breached their banks. Officials at the Office of Emergency Services (OES) says that two creek banks were breached north of Maxwell which led to the flooding of the town.The Sheriff’s Office initiated voluntary evacuations for those who felt their safety was at risk. More than 100 people were taken out of Maxwell with the use of boats and transported to evacuation centers.

Old Highway 99 is closed from the Glenn County Line to Williams, Maxwell Road is closed just west of the I5 southbound on and off ramps. Many streets in the North West and South East sections of the town of Maxwell are flooded as well.


Residents of several northern Utah cities and towns faced a second day of limited water use after flooding as rain and melting snow overwhelmed sewer systems.

Parts of northern Utah overwhelmed by flooding
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865673197/Parts-of-northern-Utah-overwhelmed-by-flooding.html

Officials from multiple cities — including Logan in Cache County, Plain City in Weber County, and Bear River City in Box Elder County — asked residents to be conservative in the amount of water they send down drains.

Anderson posted on Facebook the city's sewer system is "running at capacity" and as a result sewage has been backing up into people's homes.


FLOODS have swept across the Middle East as record-breaking rain fail and an ice blast has alarmed several Arab countries.

Saudi Arabia hit by mass FLOODING as 'apocalyptic' storm sweeps desert (Photos - Videos)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/769079/Saudi-Arabia-Middle-East-apocalyptic-weather

Severe flooding has devastated Saudi Arabia, after freak weather broke a century-old record for rain fail.

People took to social media to voice their fears that the freak weather was "apocalyptic".

The bizarre Saudi Arabia flooding comes just two weeks ago after a snowstorm blasted across the United Arab Emirates.
 
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