Concerns regarding the stability of the dam holding back toxic sludge inHungary has led to more than 8,000 people being evacuated.Estimates suggest that a second spill would be about half the size of the spillthat occurred one week ago, killing seven and injuring hundreds.
AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews reported last week that heavyrainfall in the region may have weakened walls holding back the toxicmetallurgic waste.
Specialists attempting to bolster the dam may have a narrow window to reinforcethe walls that currently threaten to rupture.
AccuWeather.com meteorologist Mark Paquette said he believes any rainfall couldexacerbate the situation and possibly hasten the dam's collapse.
In the short term, however, Paquette said rainfall will not be an issue. Thoseworking on the wall will have about five days to work on improving the wall orto work on contingency plans for a secondary collapse.
Paquette said that later in the week there will be a change in the weatherpattern, which could produce several opportunities for rainfall beginning thisweekend and continuing into next week.
At the end of the month, Paquette said the weather pattern supports someheavier, more widespread rainfall.
Volunteers, wearing protectivegear, walk across a street covered by toxic red sludge in Devecser, Hungary,Monday, Oct. 11, 2010. The population of the neighboring town of Kolontar wasevacuated Saturday and Devecser with a population of 5,300 is also in thelikely path of a possible new sludge deluge. (AP Photo/BelaSzandelszky)
Late last week, the sludge from the initial spill reached the Danube River.Though there were concerns that the contamination would flow downstream tocountries such as Bulgaria and the Ukraine, early tests suggest that acidlevels in the river were elevated slightly, but not dangerous.
