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Some residents in Manatee County, Florida, were evacuated from their homes over Easter weekend as officials cited fears that a wastewater pond could collapse "at any time." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the area on Saturday. County officials said the pond, located at the former Piney Point phosphate processing plant, has a "significant leak," according to CBS affiliate WTSP-TV. The Manatee County Public Safety Department told people near the plant to evacuate due to an "imminent uncontrolled release of wastewater." "A portion of the containment wall at the leak site shifted laterally," said Manatee Director...

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As torrential rains in China continue to wreak havoc on more than 24 provinces, notable Chinese hydrologist Wang Weiluo (王維洛) has questioned the safety of the massive Three Gorges Dam, warning that it could collapse at any moment. In southern China, regional rainstorms and mudslides that began on June 1 have uprooted more than 7,300 houses and affected nearly eight million people as of Monday morning (June 21). The immediate economic loss is estimated at 20.6 billion RMB (US$2.9 billion) by local officials. The nonstop downpours have also raised the Chinese public's concerns over the potential...

MONCKS CORNER--Fishermen fled, homeowners panicked and Berkeley County's 911 lines lit up Thursday morning as sirens wailed and loudspeakers blasted an urgent recorded warning: "This is the Santee Cooper system controller. There has been an emergency at the Santee Dam. Please evacuate the flood plain immediately. This is not a test. Everyone should evacuate the flood plain immediately and move to high ground." The Santee Dam on Lake Marion had failed. Whoops. Just a computer glitch, said Santee Cooper officials. But the warning had some folks aquiver. Others ignored it. "We had people running out of their houses up here...