Harvey's downpour causes levee breach, dam overspill near Houston


Officials in Texas' Brazoria County, 30 miles south of Houston, urged residents near West Columbia to "GET OUT NOW" after the Columbia Lakes levee was breached Tuesday due to unprecedented rainfall from Tropical Storm Harvey. Approximately 4,000 people live in the town.
Houston's Addicks Reservoir also began to spill over Tuesday, sending more water into already drenched neighborhoods and marking the first time the major dam, located on the west side of Houston, has ever overspilled. BBC noted that while the reservoir spillover "would not cause the Addicks dam to fail, it would add more water to the Buffalo Bayou," the main river flowing into Houston.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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