Officials in Butte County, California have lifted the mandatory evacuation order for several towns below a dam that appeared to be on the brink of collapse.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the threat of a massive flood has been reduced after workers were able to inspect the main spillway of the Oroville Dam and conclude it is structurally sound.
There is still an evacuation warning in place, and Honea said that could be upgraded to an order if things change.
Authorities issued an evacuation order Sunday, saying the dam could potentially break within an hour. If that had happened, up to 100 feet of water could fill the towns below.
The order caused panic among the nearly 200,000 people who were forced to flee.
The Times reports that roadblocks were removed Tuesday after the order was lifted. Officers from the California Highway Patrol have reportedly been checking the now empty town of Oroville to make sure no looting occurred.
The problem began last week when officials discovered a massive sinkhole in the dam's spillway. The flow of water out of it was slowed down as workers inspected the hole, which caused the water level in Oroville Lake — California's second largest reservoir — to rise.
The dam was built in the 1960s and is the tallest dam in the U.S.
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