American authorities have allowed 200,000 residents of the Oroville Dam area of California, who had been evacuated, to return to their homes . However, warning them that they must be ready to leave again if the situation worsens.

The Butte County sheriff said that the possibility that the dam, the highest in the United States, could suffer new damage has significantly decreased. And that the last inspection found no further erosion. However, he specified that the 200,000 people must be ready to leave their homes again if the situation worsens again. Kory Honea added that the water level of the lake below the dam has declined and is not a concern at the moment.

Almost all the schools in the area are closed and will remain so throughout the week, while the authorities have authorized the resumption of commercial activities. The safety measures to plug the crack that has opened in one of the dam’s emergency drains is proceeding with the use of two helicopters that throw bags of stones on the leak. According to the latest updates from the local authorities some progress has been made and the lake level is lowered by about two and a half meters a day. The goal is to bring it to Thursday at 262 meters, currently it is at 270. The technicians have also ascertained that the ‘spillway’ from which excess water is eliminated in the artificial lake is no longer considered at risk of imminent collapse.