Floodgate Malfunction Forces Evacuations
From Times Wire Reports
Hundreds of people living downstream from a rain-swollen lake evacuated after a floodgate jammed on a dam for more than 12 hours. The gate was later repaired.
By 10 p.m. Sunday, emergency officials allowed residents to return to their homes near Lake Manatee, east of Bradenton. Heavy rains since Wednesday forced flood watches in 18 counties and caused at least two other rivers to overflow.
The malfunctioning floodgate caused water to stream into the 2,400-acre lake faster than it could be released.