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Associated Press

Emergency workers raced on Saturday to lower water levels behind a damaged dam in northwest England as forecasters warned more bad weather was on the way.
Pumps have reduced the water level in Toddbrook Reservoir by half a metre (20 inches) since Thursday, but authorities warned that pressure on the 180-year-old dam remains severe.
A Royal Air Force helicopter continued precision drops of sandbags into a gaping hole on the dam, while specialist contractors placed concrete grouting around the bags to bind them together.
Images from the operation showed personnel hanging out of the side of the Chinook, directing the bags into the hole to fill gaps – like a craftsman smoothing plaster.
Hundreds of one-tonne bags had been dropped in the last few days, said Daniel Greenhalgh of the Canal & River Trust, which manages the dam.

“This is still a critical situation,” Greenhalgh told the BBC.
“We need to draw the water down significantly.”
During a visit on Friday evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the dam wall as “dodgy but stable”, but said the 180-year-old structure would require a “major rebuild”.
The dam was damaged last week after heavy rains sent torrents of water rushing over its spillway. Britain’s meteorological office is warning of further rain on Sunday, with the risk of floods and lightning strikes.
Firefighters have brought in large pumps to pull water out of the reservoir and into the River Goyt.

Emergency crews are now pumping five metric tonnes of water per minute while inlets into the reservoir are also being dammed off to block any floodwaters from Sunday’s promised rain.
“We are hoping the weather will be kind to us,” Derbyshire Deputy Chief Fire Officer Gavin Tomlinson said.
“But everyone is working as hard as possible to get ahead of the curve and remove as much water as possible today, overnight and into tomorrow, to minimise the impact of any bad weather that does materialise.”

More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the town of Whaley Bridge, about 280km (174 miles) north of London.
The government said it may be several days before residents can return to their homes permanently, but allowed one family member per household to return home for 15 minutes to collect essentials or treasured items.
Among the residents going home quickly was Tracey Coleman, who lives just outside the area marked for closure.


She left in haste with her family on Thursday, taking two dogs, a cat, a tortoise and a neighbour’s dog.
“We just took some medication, the animals and a bit of food,” she said.
Coleman said she had been walking in the park on Thursday morning when she heard what she thought was thunder.
“Now I think I must have heard the dam breaking,” she said.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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Britain

Helicopter drops sandbags onto ‘dodgy’ UK dam as emergency workers try to prevent collapse

A helicopter drops sandbags onto the damaged dam at Toddbrook Reservoir in Britain. Photo: Photo: EPA

epa07754736 A British Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopter prepares to drop sand bags on to the damaged dam at Toddbrook reservoir in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, Britain, 03 August 2019, in the emergency operation to save the market town from severe flooding. About 1,500 residents of Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire were evacuated on 01 August over fears their town could be flooded after heavy rain damaged the dam holding back the Toddbrook reservoir and there is now a risk it could collapse. EPA-EFE/VICKIE FLORES

epa07754746 Sand bags dropped by a British Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopter on the damaged area of the dam at Toddbrook reservoir in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, Britain, 03 August 2019, in the emergency operation to save the market town from severe flooding. About 1,500 residents of Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire were evacuated on 01 August over fears their town could be flooded after heavy rain damaged the dam holding back the Toddbrook reservoir and there is now a risk it could collapse. EPA-EFE/VICKIE FLORES

epa07754096 A handout picture provided by the British Ministry of Defence showing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson posing for a selfie in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, Britain, 02 August 2019, to show his support for the emergency operation to save the market town from severe flooding. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) Odiham Chinook Force has been called in to help spread sandbags over dam wall in Whaley Bridge. Around 400 tonnes of aggregate brought in to divert water and the town has been evacuated. About 1,500 residents of Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire have been evacuated on 01 August over fears their town could be flooded after heavy rain damaged the dam holding back the Toddbrook reservoir. EPA-EFE/Cpl Rob Travis RAF /BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT: MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

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Police officers are seen after a dam, owned by Brazilian miner Vale SA, burst in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil January 25, 2019. Photo: Reuters

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epa06910810 A handout photo made available by ABC Laos News shows a cow wading by houses submerged by floodwaters after the Xe Pian Xe Nam Noy dam collapsed near Attapeu province, Laos, 25 July 2018 (issued 26 July 2018). More than 20 people are dead and hundreds missing after the Xe Pian Xe Nam Noy hydroelectric dam burst, causing heavy flash floods through several villages, leaving hundreds of households submerged underwater. EPA-EFE/ABC LAOS NEWS / HANDOUT BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Trucks washed away by flood waters lies along the road her in a village in Sanamxai, Attapeu province on July 26, 2018. Rescuers battled fresh rains on July 26 to reach scores of people still missing after a dam collapse in southern Laos that unleashed a torrent of water, washing away whole villages and killing at least 26 people. / AFP PHOTO / NHAC NGUYEN

TOPSHOT - Residents displaced by massive flood waters from the collapsed dam seek shelter in Paksong town in Champasak province on July 25, 2018. The bodies of 17 people have been recovered after a dam collapse led to flash floods in southern Laos, as two South Korean firms involved in the hydropower project said damage was reported at least 24 hours before the disaster. / AFP PHOTO / YE AUNG THU

Rescuers scrambled to reach homeless and stranded people in the remote southern tip of Laos on Thursday, three days after the collapse of a partially built hydropower dam sent a devastating torrent of water across paddy fields and through villages. Photo: EPA

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People carry a victim’s body from the site of the accident. Photo: AFP

Local residents wait inside an ambulance after Patel dam burst its bank at Solai, about 40 kilometres north of Nakuru, Kenya, on May 9, 2018. / AFP PHOTO

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A couple rides a bike on a flood-damaged road in Swar town of Bago region on August 30, 2018. (Photo by YE AUNG THU / AFP)

Myanmar soldiers look at a flood-damaged area in Swar town of Bago region on August 30, 2018. - A large-scale rescue effort marches on into a second day to reach thousands of people stranded in their homes in Central Myanmar after a dam swollen by monsoon rain left the region inundated. (Photo by Ye Aung THU / AFP)

Residents walk on a road the day after a dam breach in Bago, Myanmar. Photo: AFP

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Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge
Part of the dam holding back the Toddbrook Reservoir above them collapsed following heavy rain



Emergency services battling to stop a reservoir dam in central England from collapsing brought in new pumps Saturday to reduce the water levels, as a Royal Air Force helicopter continued precision drops of sandbags into a gaping hole.


Extreme weather

Helicopter drops sandbags onto ‘dodgy’ UK dam as emergency workers try to prevent collapse

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge Part of the dam holding back the Toddbrook Reservoir above them collapsed following heavy rain

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge

Part of the dam holding back the Toddbrook Reservoir above them collapsed following heavy rain