ROCKWALL COUNTY, Texas — A dam in Rockwall County in the McLendon-Chisholm area shifted six feet in 24 hours, but posed no immediate danger, said Monday.
Residents in the Chisholm Crossing subdivision area were warned to be ready to evacuate overnight. On Monday morning, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said Natural Resource Conservation Service inspectors determined no evacuations were necessary.
"Our neighbors came together and we all hugged each other and it was wonderful it was wonderful to hear that we’re safe for now," said Sallie Parks, who lives below the dam.
"It is scary to see it," she said. "Scary to see that the whole side of it is giving out."
Bryan McNeal, mayor of McLendon-Chisholm, told WFAA he has instructed fire crews to continue to monitor the dam as more rain is forecast for the area.
"I’m concerned enough that I’m not taking my eyes off the ball," he said.
He said the pond the dam holds back is four feet above where it should be -- and there's a backup of water upstream waiting to flow into the reservoir.
McNeal said early estimates indicate fixing the damage to the dam will cost upwards of a million dollars -- and the pond has already flooded some backyards.
"Until I know that we’re 100% clear, we’re 100 percent%, and I can look at that resident and say you’re good, we’re going to stay on it," he said.
Parks said she planned to keep handy the clothes, important documents and medication she would need in case of evacuation.
"That way I’m ready to go," she said.
The Rockwall County Office of Emergency Management will issue any evacuation order through a Nixle Emergency Alert, officials said. You can sign up for alerts by texting "RCOEM" to 888777.