Tech: A dam in Puerto Rico is failing after Hurricane Maria and forcing towns to evacuate

The Guajataca Dam on the island's northwest coast is prompting flash flooding downstream.

In what the government is calling an "extremely dangerous" situation, a dam in Puerto Rico is failing and forcing two towns to evacuate.

The Guajataca Dam on the island's northwest coast is prompting flash flooding downstream just days after Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico completely without power.

Buses near the dam are currently evacuating residents in Isabela and Quebradillas "as quickly as they can," the Associated Press reported.

In an alert posted to its website at 2:10 p.m. ET, the National Weather Service warned people in both towns to "move to higher ground now. Act quickly to protect your life." The warning is currently in effect until Friday at 8:15 p.m. ET.

A chart from the US Geological Survey showing water levels for the dam shows the extent of the damage.

Hurricane Maria barrelled through Puerto Rico on Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 storm with 155-mph winds and temporarily stripped 100% of the island of its electricity.

Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello, who described the event as "the most devastating storm in a century," said it could take the island months to restore the grid.

More than 95% of all cellphone sites on the island are still down as of Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission reported, and "large percentages of consumers are without either cable services or wireline services." By comparison, close to 77% of cell sites in the US Virgin Islands remain out of service.

The death toll from Maria on Puerto Rico is at least six, and at least 27 people have died across the Caribbean in conjuction with the raging storm.

This is a developing story.

The Guajataca Dam on the island's northwest coast is prompting flash flooding downstream. Read Full Story