Articles · Infrastructure
Everything about Dam Failure
6 articles across NWS
Collapse or uncontrolled release of water from a dam. The U.S. has over 91,000 dams, and thousands are classified as high-hazard-potential by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Disaster History
Case studies and disaster history
Banqiao 1975: The Dam Disaster That Killed Up to 240,000 People - and Was Hidden for 30 Years
On August 8, 1975, the Banqiao Dam in Henan Province, China, failed at 1 AM. The six-mile-wide, 10-foot-deep flood wave moved at 30 mph through communities where people slept. Within hours, 62 dams ha
The Johnstown Flood (1889): When the Rich Ignored the Dam & 2,208 People Paid for It
The 1889 Johnstown Flood killed 2,208 people when the South Fork Dam failed after decades of neglect. The owners knew the risk and did nothing. Here's what happened, why warnings weren't heard, and wh
Oroville Dam 2017: America's Tallest Dam Came Within Hours of Catastrophic Failure - and the Warning Had Been Filed 12 Years Earlier
In February 2017, the main spillway of Oroville Dam - the tallest dam in the United States - failed catastrophically. The backup emergency spillway, never used in the dam's 49-year history, began erod
Teton Dam 1976: The Brand-New Dam That Failed on First Filling - Engineering Defects, Ignored Concerns, Four Hours to Catastrophe
On June 5, 1976, the Teton Dam in Idaho - built by the Bureau of Reclamation, essentially complete since November 1975, filling for the first time - catastrophically failed at 11:57 AM. The tallest da
Vajont 1963: The Dam That Survived - and the 2,500 Who Didn't
On October 9, 1963, at 10:39 PM, 260 million cubic meters of rock slid into the Vajont reservoir in northern Italy at 68 mph. The dam was a masterpiece of 1950s engineering - one of the tallest arch d
Preparedness
Preparedness and self-reliance
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