Puerto Rico's government says engineers will inspect the Guajataca Dam on Sunday to determine the extent of damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria last week.
The dam in the northwest corner of the island was cracked, but had not burst by late Saturday. But Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario said in a statement that the dam's "fissure was big and it will collapse at any minute."
Gov. Ricardo Rossello said, "We don't know how long it's going to hold. The integrity of the structure has been compromised in a significant way."
Fears that the dam would fail prompted the government to evacuate nearby communities below the reservoir with buses to help residents leave.
The dam in the northwest corner of the island was cracked, but had not burst by late Saturday. But Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario said in a statement that the dam's "fissure was big and it will collapse at any minute."
Gov. Ricardo Rossello said, "We don't know how long it's going to hold. The integrity of the structure has been compromised in a significant way."
Fears that the dam would fail prompted the government to evacuate nearby communities below the reservoir with buses to help residents leave.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/puerto-ric ... -1.4304878
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/us/hurric ... index.html