Homes in a small town in southern Illinois had to be evacuated Tuesday morning due to an impending dam break, local emergency officials reported.
The evacuation took place in Nashville, in Washington County, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis, Missouri.
“The Nashville Dam Failure is Imminent,” reads a Facebook post from the Washington County Emergency Management Agency. “Evacuate your home now. If you are in the gray box, evacuate now!”
At around 9:45 a.m. CT, Alex Haglund of the management office told local outlet KSDK-TV that a secondary dam had failed. The office announced the update on Facebook at 9:50 a.m., indicating that the area around the secondary dam was inundated with floodwaters.
The cause of the dam break and the expected number of houses affected were not yet known.
According to the last census, the town had a population of just over 3,100.
USA TODAY has contacted the emergency management agency.
More than 200 dams have burst in the US since 2000See if your community is at risk
Shelter is being set up for residents and evacuees
A post on the agency’s social media page said a shelter was being set up on West Walnut Street in the city.
“The Red Cross has been activated,” the message continues.
The Nashville City Reservoir Dam was completed in 1935 and last inspected in 2021, according to USA TODAY’s dam database. The latest condition was not immediately available.
This is a developing story.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.