MCLENDON-CHISHOLM, Texas – The City of McLendon-Chisholm in Rockwall County told residents on Sunday night to be ready to evacuate.
The city is monitoring the status of the dam in the Chisholm Crossing subdivision.
McLendon-Chisholm Mayor Bryan McNeal said the ground near the dam has shifted six feet in about 24 hours, including three feet since 6 a.m. on Monday.
McNeal says water is seeping through the bottom of the dam.
“It is causing like an onion peel. It is going to keep peeling until it collapses,” McNeal said.
At this time, an evacuation order has not been issued, but it could be in the near future.
“Had that rain hit we gotten overnight rain, we had Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office on deck, Rockwall County Emergency Management and McLendon-Chisholm FIre Department here. We had a gameplan we were going to start knocking doors,” said McNeal. “We would have evacuated everybody to city hall.”
The mayor says there is a pump in the area to try to get some of the water out of the area and a second one is on the way,
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Courtesy: Bryan McNeal Mayor of McLendon-Chisholm
Rockwall County’s Office of Emergency Management said people who live on Fireside Drive, Parade Point, Granite Ridge Road, Highwater Crossing, Stampede Run or areas downstream on Brushy Creek to take precautions to evacuate in case an order is handed down.
The mayor says the are concerned about 25-30 homes.
The city will meet with the Kaufman-Van Zandt-Rockwall Soil and Water Conservation District on Monday at 9:30 a.m. to discuss the status of the dam.
“Myself, Council Member Day, and Mayor Pro-Tem Tucker will be with the fire chief and soil specialists in the morning at the dam to check the situation. I will advise more after the meeting,” Mayor McNeal said.
Residents are being asked to gather their pets and pack valuable items in a suitcase.
Rockwall County OEM said it will send a Nixle Emergency Alert if an evacuation order is issued. To sign up to get to the alert, text “RCOEM” to 888777.
