Many thanks to the many posters who have kept this the best source for information on this potentially catastrophic situation. The links and comments are outstanding.
The main stream media is WAY behind.
We should all remember: The water distribution system that depends on this dam supplies 2/3 of the people in California with drinking water, in addition to the role it plays in California agriculture. It also supplies a significant amount of electricity.
I have seen no mention of the damage to these systems, but it is clear that the power generation has stopped. The main power house has been reported flooded, and repairs will take at least months. The water that would normally go through the generators has stopped as well.
My son-in-law is an engineer with expertise in dam electrical generation. He tells me that even if the dam’s ability to send water through the generators has not been damaged it will still not be possible to send normal amounts of water through until the generators are able to go back on line. The reason is that the hydrostatic head is so high that the force of the water must be controlled by operation of the generators or it will cause substantial damage on the way out. He has been in charge of draining and repairing damaged lakes and knows what he’s talking about.
Why don’t the people in charge tell the public to put their garden hoses in the gutter and turn them on full blast for a day or so?