Two runaway barges are loose on the swift, flooded Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma, spreading alarm downstream as they threaten a dam.
Downstream is the small riverfront town of Webbers Falls, home to about 600 residents. Town officials had already ordered the town evacuated Wednesday afternoon because of the rising level river. News of the loose barges added further urgency to the order.
But Wednesday evening, a posting on the town’s official Facebook page said: “Evacuate Webbers Falls immediately. The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16. If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!”
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