"On a cold morning last March, Kenny Angel got a frantic knock on his door. Two workers from a utility company in northern Nebraska had come with a stark warning: Get out of your house.
Just a little over a quarter-mile upstream, the 92-year-old Spencer Dam was straining to contain the swollen, ice-covered Niobrara River after an unusually intense snow and rainstorm. The workers had tried but failed to force open the dam’s frozen wooden spillway gates. So, fearing the worst, they fled in their truck, stopping to warn Angel before driving away without him.
Minutes later, the dam came crashing down, unleashing a wave of water carrying ice chunks the size of cars. Angel’s home was wiped away; his body was never found."
SEE ALSO:
"Citing Security, Nevada Keeps Dams’ Emergency Plans Secret" (AP)
"Hundreds Of Thousands Of People In California Are Downriver Of A Dam That 'Could Fail'" (CNN)
"New Mexico Leads US With High-Hazard Dams In Poor Shape" (AP)
"Aging Connecticut Dams Creating Economic Problems For Owners" (AP)
"More Than 40% Of Hawaii Dams In Poor or Unsatisfactory Condition" (AP)
"Communities Rally To Repair Dams As Year Of Flooding Worsens Or Creates Problems" (Tulsa World)
"New Federal Grant Program Allots $10M For Dams In 26 States" (AP)
"Historic Mountain Dell Dam Near Salt Lake City Listed As 1 Of 5 Of Utah’s High-Hazard Dams" (AP)
"Ohio Ranks High In Hazardous Dams Needing Work" (AP)
"N Carolina No. 2 In Risky Dams Where Failure Could Kill" (AP)
"Mississippi Among Worst States For Dams Rated In Bad Shape" (AP)
"AP Investigation: Dozens Of New York Dams Need Work" (AP)
"Nearly 40 Problematic Dams In Massachusetts, AP Reports" (AP)
"AP: Arizona Has 16 Dams Rated High-Hazard And In Poor Shape" (AP)
