And the dam started to collapse...

Whaley Bridge is a small town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England

Gaynor Preece Podcast- Whaley Bridge Dam, Charcuterie & African BBQ’s

Back when this website first began, one of our first collaborations was with a company named Spicely Does It. The company caught my eye straight away with a series of unique products aimed at creating your own charcuterie at home. Three years down the line, I was heading up to the beautiful High Peak area to meet Gaynor Preece, the owner of Spicely Does It.

Sitting down with Gaynor was a…

New Post has been published on https://www.chiangraitimes.com/thailand-national-news/world-news/uk-air-force-helicopter-drafted-to-prevent-dam-collapse/

UK Air Force Helicopter Drafted to Prevent Dam Collapse

LONDON – A UK Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter was summoned to help deliver sandbags to a reservoir dam in a bid to prevent it collapsing and flooding the town below.

Engineers said they were concerned about the integrity of the 19th-century Toddbrook Reservoir, which contains around 1.3 million metric tons of water.

Police were evacuating more than 6,000 residents of Whaley Bridge, in central England. Telling them to take pets and any medication they needed with them after the dam was badly damaged during heavy rains.

Officials said the dam, holding back 300 million gallons of water in the reservoir above the town, was in danger of failing, putting lives at risk.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Site

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) waving towards a military Chinook helicopter in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire.

“The structural integrity of the dam wall is still at a critical level and there is still a substantial risk to life should the dam wall fail,” the assistant chief constable of Derbyshire police, Kem Mehmet, said at a news conference.

Police said the water level had fallen by 0.5 meters, but still needed to be lowered by several more meters until it was below the damage — an operation that could take several days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the area late on Friday, meeting with emergency services involved in the operation.

Police said a Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter was shifting 400 tonnes of aggregate — a mixture of sand, gravel and stone — onto the reservoir wall to reinforce it.

Engineers have been pumping water out of the reservoir to get the level down, to reduce pressure on the wall and allow repairs to begin.

Evacuated residents would be allowed to briefly return to their homes to collect animals and belonging under police escort.

Shifting 400 Tons of Aggregate

Britain’s Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning for the area, saying river levels in the River Goyt, which runs through the town, could rise rapidly.

Heavy rain this week led to flash flood in areas across northern England causing bridges to collapse and road closures. Britain’s Met Office said on Wednesday downpours had led to 50 mm (2 inches) of rain falling in just one hour.

Gary Lane, the Royal Air Force liaison officer at the scene, said the helicopter only had a narrow space to drop the sacks of aggregate to avoid putting pressure on the dam.

“It’s a bit like a big Lego block that we’re building, we’ve got a foundation in there and we’re carrying on building each on top of each other” he said.

Source: VOA, AP

  Royal Air Force Chinook Helicopter Shifting 400 Tons of Aggregate