Lake Oroville, Calif. – Mandatory evacuation orders that have been in effect for the last two days for areas downstream of Lake Oroville spillways have been lifted.
Sacramento, California affiliate KCRA reports nearly 200,000 people in Butte, Sutter and Yuba counties were evacuated Sunday due to a problem with Lake Oroville’s emergency spillway.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said, “Taking into account of the current level of risk, the predicted strength of the next round of inclement weather and the capacity of the lake to account for increased inflow associated with those storms, we have concluded that it is safe to reduce the immediate evacuation order to an evacuation warning.”
Sherriff Honea said people are allowed to return to their homes and businesses, but another evacuation order could be issued at any time. “Residents should be prepared to maintain situational awareness,” Honea added.
An evacuation center at Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico will remain open, but all other centers supported by Butte County will be closed.
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