BREAKING>>>The Latest: National Weather Service says the Guajataca Dam is failing in Puerto Rico

[mystery-ak]

 The Associated Press‏Verified account @AP 39m39 minutes ago

The Latest: National Weather Service says the Guajataca Dam is failing in Puerto Rico, buses evacuating people.

[mystery-ak]

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/Dam-Failing-Puerto-Rico-Hurricane-Maria-446870113.html

Puerto Rico Dam Failing; Flash Flood Emergency Declared
"This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION," NWS San Juan said in a tweet
By Asher Klein

A dam in northwest Puerto Rico is failing, causing flash flooding and prompting emergency evacuations Friday, the National Weather Service said.

Operators of the Guajataca Dam said it failed at 2:10 p.m. ET, prompting the NWS to issue a flash flood emergency warning for Isabela and Quebradillas municipalities, the agency said in three tweets.

"This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. Busses are currently evacuating people from the area as quickly as they can," NWS San Juan said.

Source: Puerto Rico Dam Failing; Flash Flood Emergency Declared - NBC4 Washington

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/Dam-Failing-Puerto-Rico-Hurricane-Maria-446870113.html#ixzz4tRCr6wRi

[catfish1957]

Awful.  Based on wiki, there 70,000 people potentially in these locations in harms way.

[Suppressed]

Puerto Rico dam bursts in wake of Hurricane Maria
18 minutes ago
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41368478

A dam has failed and caused "extremely dangerous" flooding on Puerto Rico's Guajataca river in the wake of Hurricane Maria, authorities say.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said buses were "currently evacuating people from the area as quickly as they can".

[...]

Operators of the Guajataca Dam said the dam, located at the northern end of Lake Guajataca in northwest Puerto Rico, failed at 14:10 local time (18:10 GMT).

[...]

Excerpt.  Read more at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41368478

[Fishrrman]

I was browsing around, trying to find out just what -kind- of dam this is.

Here's an arial pic:


Does this look like "earthen" construction?

Sounds like a situation there similar to what almost happened with Shasta Lake out in California this spring.

I wouldn't want to live downstream from one of these...

[DB]

Looking on Google Earth the path to the ocean looks pretty sparse. There are houses along the river bed but no obvious large populations.

[Victoria33]

@mystery-ak

This is another 70,000 people losing everything they have, if they live long enough to get away from the water.
Hurricane Harvey, Texas, amounts of water never seen before, massive destruction.
Hurricane Irma, Florida, amounts of water never seen in the whole state, destruction.
Florida Keys, huge amounts of water never seen before, massive destruction.
Puerto Rico, massive rain never seen before, total destruction, dam failure, more water and destruction.
All this destruction in our country and our possession, Puerto Rico.
Likely nuclear bombs headed to this country at any time.

Why?  That is the question.