Over the past few days, heavy downpours have significantly raised water levels within the region, causing the College Lake Dam to exceed its limit by six inches.
If the dam exceeds its limit even more, seventeen feet of water could flood the area within seven minutes, severely threatening homes and residents in Lynchburg, according to Lynchburg Water Resources Department.
On Thursday evening, authorities evacuated several residents within the Virginia city – the closest settlement downstream from the dam – amid concerns of the structure’s “imminent failure”.
This came after NWS issued a flash flood warning which said: “If a complete failure of the dam occurs, the water depth at Lynchburg could exceed 17 feet in seven minutes.”
Torrential rain already brought in floods to the city, prompting several road closures as firefighters and police deployed rescue boats to save stranded locals.
The city of Lynchburg is situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains and has a population of about 80,000 residents.
Around 124 houses were ordered to leave their premises, Lynchburg’s Department of Emergency Services confirmed.
Families in immediate danger were urged to reside in nearby schools, and were advised not to return home for at least 24 hours.
Officials have also warned residents not to drive down flooded roads, following concerns that the floodwater may contain dangerous debris.
Lynchburg Dam began to exceed its water capacity limit on Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
At 9.30pm, the Lynchburg Water Resources Department recorded four to six inches of rain, sparking authorities to conduct mass evacuations over fears the dam would spill downstream in to the city.
The NWS said: “The Lynchburg Water Resources Department reported that four to six inches of heavy rain earlier this evening has caused College Lake to fill beyond its capacity and that 12 to 18 inches of water are flowing over Lakeside Drive into Blackwater Creek.
“At this time, the dam has not failed and is being closely monitored by emergency personnel for any signs of structural failure.
“Flood waters entering Blackwater Creek from College Lake will continue into Ivy Creek before entering the James River.”
Authorities have also issued flash flood warning to areas in Atlanta, the East Coast from northern Georgia to central Pennsylvania.
Several roads remain closed, including Route 460 at the Campbell County/Bedford road.
WLNI also reported fallen trees and cut power lines across the region, following days of torrential rains and flooding.
AccuWeather meteorologist Brett Rathbun said: “Lynchburg has received 1.35” of rain so far on Thursday and 1.64” so far this month.
“Three to six inches of rain has fallen across the area since Sunday afternoon with the heaviest falling in the towns of Timberlake and Forest.
“More rain is expected across the area through Friday which can keep the dam failure risk high.”