Drone footage shows a huge break in a Mississippi dam as life-threatening flash flood warning issued

June 2024 ยท 3 minute read

A life-threatening flood warning has been issued after a Mississippi dam suffered a 100 foot break and residents were told to move to higher ground immediately.

Shocking drone footage shows raging water has eroded the land around the structure of the Archusa Creek Water Park Lake Dam, as it also poured over the top of the wall into the creek below.

The National Weather Service posted an alert warning of 'life-threatening flash flooding of areas downstream' after the dam broke at 8:04pm CT on Sunday. 

'If you are in low lying areas below the Archusa you should move to higher ground immediately,' officials warned. 

'Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles,' they added. 

Drone footage showed a 100-foot dam breach in Mississippi Sunday night amid a heavy storm in the area, with officials saying it could cause 'life-threatening' flash floods

Drone footage showed a 100-foot dam breach in Mississippi Sunday night amid a heavy storm in the area, with officials saying it could cause 'life-threatening' flash floods

The warning is in effect until at least 5:15 a.m. CT Monday morning. NWS officials posted an update at 11.01pm local time to say dam operators were still reporting the failure of the western spillway.

The nearest downstream location, Desoto Landing, could see flooding during the early morning hours of Monday, the NWS warned. 

The entirety of Archusa Creek Park is closed to the public until further notice, the park confirmed on Facebook Sunday. 

Archusa Creek was one of three different bodies of water in Clarke County that the National Weather Service said could be impacted by wet weather Sunday night. 

The other two waterways part of the warning are Hanging Moss Creek and Chickasawhay River, both also in Clarke County.

Clarke County Sheriff Todd Kemp said he breach is near an emergency spillway and some were still trying to get their boats out of the water in time to avoid the flooding.

Local officials and sheriff's deputies are on standby throughout the night, Kemp added.

Flash flooding has been a problem in multiple states in the past week, with a dam in Vermont coming one foot away from failure last Tuesday.  

Archusa Creek was one of three different bodies of water in Clarke County that the National Weather Service said could be impacted by wet weather Sunday night, with officials saying the dam officially broke at 8:04 p.m. CT

Archusa Creek was one of three different bodies of water in Clarke County that the National Weather Service said could be impacted by wet weather Sunday night, with officials saying the dam officially broke at 8:04 p.m. CT

The footage from high above the creek shows the dam which has clearly been ruptured, with water raging through the approximately 100-feet wide breach

The footage from high above the creek shows the dam which has clearly been ruptured, with water raging through the approximately 100-feet wide breach

Land around the dam structure has been eroded away and the water is flowing over part of the dam walls, with trees beginning to uproot and float in another video

Land around the dam structure has been eroded away and the water is flowing over part of the dam walls, with trees beginning to uproot and float in another video

The NWS posted an alert that there was a possibility of 'life-threatening flash flooding of areas downstream'

The NWS posted an alert that there was a possibility of 'life-threatening flash flooding of areas downstream'

The entirety of Archusa Creek Park is closed to the public until further notice, the park confirmed on Facebook Sunday

The entirety of Archusa Creek Park is closed to the public until further notice, the park confirmed on Facebook Sunday

The warning is in effect until at least 5:15 a.m. CT Monday morning with officials observing the breach well past midnight local time

The warning is in effect until at least 5:15 a.m. CT Monday morning with officials observing the breach well past midnight local time

It's the second time the state has faced rough weather this week, as torrential rain fell for several hours Thursday in central Mississippi, flooding roads, homes and businesses in Winston County, about 90 miles north of Clarke County.

Winston County Sheriff Jason Pugh said law enforcement officers rescued at least eight people from vehicles and removed several others from homes as the water rose.

Swift water washed one car into a ditch, but the driver escaped before it submerged. The man stood knee-deep in the floodwater on top of his car as officers rescued him, Pugh told The Associated Press.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported in the county by the evening, the mayor said.

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