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Where is Nashville, Illinois? Residents ordered to evacuate their homes due to failure of dam
Here’s the latest updates on the situation in Nashville, Illinois where emergency responders have told inhabitants to evacuate immediately.
Residents in Nashville, Illinois have been told to evacuate their homes with immediate effect amid fears that a nearby dam is at risk of failure. The town is located in Washington County in Southwest Illinois, 60 miles east of St. Louis, MO.
The message came from Washington County IL Emergency Management Agency, which read: “Attention The Failure of the Nashville dam is imminent. Please evacuate your home at this time. If you are in the grey box [risk zone], you need evacuate now!”
As of yet more details about the nature of the risk are not known but the severity of the potential incident is clear.
What have officials said about the Nashville, Illinois dam?
The affected dam in Nashville is located close to two cemeteries, Nashville elementary school and Nashville Community High School. All of those sites are believed to be in the projected path of water if the dam were to break. The situation is the dam is thought to be related to the broader flood risk in the area, sparked by a period of unseasonably heavy rainfall.
“Washington County is experiencing an emergency flood situation,” the Washington County Emergency Management Agency wrote in a post on Facebook. “Stay at home unless evacuations are needed. Do NOT attempt travel. Many roads are underwater with another 2-4 inches of rain possible. Crossing flooded areas may result in permanent injury or death.”
At the last census the town of Nashville, Illinois had a population of just over 3,100 people. The Red Cross have began work on a refuge shelter for residents forced to leave their homes in the coming days.