Chicago – July 17, 2024
Storms with heavy rains and tornadoes rattled Illinois, overtopping a dam Tuesday in a southern part of the state and forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes.
Water overtopped a dam near Nashville, Illinois, sending first responders to the flooded area to make sure everyone got out safely, officials said. There were no reports of injuries in the community of 3,000 southeast of St. Louis, but crews were sent to a home where a woman reported water up to her waist, said Alex Haglund, a spokesperson for the Washington County Emergency Management Agency.
Officials had earlier said about 300 people were in the evacuation zone near the Nashville City Reservoir.
“Secondary Dam Failure, area has been overtopped with flood waters, please evacuate if you are in the below shaded area!” a post from the Washington County Emergency Management Agency read Tuesday morning.
