Toledo Bend Dam 2016

Toledo Bend Dam & Spillway on March 10, 2016 after record flooding. The nine floodgates were open at 22 foot each and the powerhouse had one generator operating. Spillway output was a record 198,144 cu. ft. per second which is 1,486,080 gallons per second. The lake level was also at a all time record of 174.36 MSL. Filmed in high resolution with a DJI Phantom 2 vision quadcopter (drone).

[@mystbunnygaming1449]

I lost my home to this. The water rose over the roof, wrecked the inside, swept it off the blocks, destroyed all the plumbing underneath, the water shed is now gone, and so are the front steps. I'm just glad I thought to bring my cat with me when I left instead of deciding to come back by boat to feed her. I would have been SICK with grief if I had left her behind. I've never seen flooding like this before, anywhere, ever.

[@O-sa-car]

rivers should never be underestimated

[@AJFar-tm7dn]

Ferocious power of water. Thank you Russell for the incredible imagery.

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

You're welcome!

[@davidboling3245]

That's amazing! Nothing could escape that current at the top of the dam. Everything would be pulled to the dam for quite a distance away - fish, boats, etc. Not sure how that all works, but can just imagine that's a bad place to be for those unaware of the plan to open the flood gates.

[@nancysnell4883]

Freakin awesome shots! The amazing power of masses of water! Amazing!

[@johnniesmith7994]

used to work there. i got to open up the spillway gates for the first time they had been opened in like 6+ years. very very fun experience

[@johnniesmith7994]

it wasnt this spill obviously it was the previous one. i was injured and couldnt attend this. woulda been cool though

[@myron6305]

Russell this is awesome! I am a producer for WeatherNation TV. May WeatherNation TV and it's affiliates use and share this digitally with credit to you?

[@gtb2710]

Hey Russell........GREAT Video !!!

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

Thank you Sir !

[@spencerboaz2385]

Wow that was great , awesome video . I was afraid if they started transmitting with the WiFi tower on top of the hill it would screw with the 2.4g that my FPV drone operates on and I could lose it so I used the Phantom 1 with gopro type camera . Your P2 runs on 5.8g , no WiFi problems .You can't tell what it is looking at that far away . No FPV .

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

Thanks! I didn't bother putting the emergency floats on it when I took off! Figured if it went down it would be toast anyway ! lol

[@jasonmatthews8375]

Nice footage and good flying skills.

[@jonathonvince3605]

look at the older vids when it was only 3 ft open. then look at this. on the bottom exit the sides are eroded away. scary

[@bobbyflowers4859]

Did the 4th gate from left collapse?

[@mr.69yes83]

and here it comes again

[@pineywoodsbass5844]

Great footage! I shared this to my Facebook page. Thanks.

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

Thanks!

[@timbell8208]

hey do you fly anything else? not sure where you live but I'm not far from Toledo bend. I build my own and was looking for someone to fly with.

[@GodsmanonYoutube]

the spillway on the far left what's stirring up the mud from the bottom by it? Look to be the current but I thought something worse early on in your video.

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

Not sure, but I think it was drawing mud/sediment from the dirt embankment that goes out in the water.

[@GodsmanonYoutube]

probably with that amount of current. you can also see some sort of movement in the deeper waters behind the other gates as well.

[@QMaxxProducts]

Hi Russell, I'm putting together a short video of the flooding at American Airboat in 2016. Would you mind if I used 10-15 seconds of your video to add a little drama and color? Thanks in advance. Kendra

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

QMaxxProducts I don't mind if you use it.

[@QMaxxProducts]

Thanks Russell. I want to use a little clip to set up a video about the flooding at American Airboat in Orange. They used our QMaxx rust and corrosion fighters to save virtually all their equipment. Thanks a lot, Russell.

[@thafff]

Necessary for the 193 remaining countries: "Spillway output was a record 5611 cubic meters per second."

[@phife1878]

Meters don't exist in the US!

[@thafff]

@@phife1878 That justifies the existence of my comment in the first place: 193 countries are unable to deal with glazed donuts per bald eagle.

[@huntersmall6162]

You almost got nails by those birds. You fly a phantom?

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

Yes, that was a phantom. Have a Mavic Pro now.

[@huntersmall6162]

@@cenlaaerialimagery6291 me to

[@phooker62890]

no issues with authorities flying around the spillway?

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

phillip hooker No Sir, no issues. I've since learned the FAA restricts the use of drones around certain structures.

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

phillip hooker No Sir, no issues. I've since learned the FAA restricts the use of drones around certain structures.

[@phooker62890]

russell bailey that's what I was thinking. I know they're pretty serious about boating near the spillway and dam.

[@cenlaaerialimagery6291]

phillip hooker Yes they are, especially foot traffic on the dam complex and structures. Security was cranked up after 9/11. I was actually on official business during this trip. We used the still shot photos in our press release

[@user-tb2jy9lu3d]

2:27 Is that a whirlpool in the shallow area to the far left on the back side of the dam? I wouldn't even drive over that...

[@dh-1399]

It's the land of that grass peninsula being eroded away, I am no hydraulic engineer but in my estimation that whole structure is in imminent danger of collapse.

[@johnniesmith7994]

+Derek 1313 i worked there for about 8 9 months. ive been in every nook n cranny of that spillway and dam. got pics too its creepy but seemed sound. the tunnel below the spillway is sketchy when spilling though

[@imanjordan3050]

Johnnie Smith, I would love to see the pics...

[@logantrace3973]

that's a lot of water coming out those gates

[@earlbroussardjr]

Must have been before they closed the Hwy

[@morbius109]

That is a LOT of water, lol. Wow.

[@yanaslife7335]

so. what happened? why?

[@mystbunnygaming1449]

This is what I have been told. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I lived farther down this river and lost my home, so I was looking for answers myself. What I heard was that during the heavy rains over this area, they, meaning whoever was in charge at the time, decided not to release any water until the very last minute, when the dam was about to overflow, then they opened all the floodgates and released it all on us. Places that haven't seen flood waters since the late 1800s were suddenly underwater.

[@jonathancarnahan5180]

+MystBunnyGaming thats right...the new man in charge waited to open the gates knowing the rain was coming...the issue is that 1 inch of water equals 1 million in revenue for the power company...for greeds sake he waited until he was sure he had his water and then realized he needed to burp the resevoir...thus flooding everyone instantly all the way to orange texas altbough it took 3 days for the water to flood that far south...the solution is to open one gate ahead of any rain that is north of the resevoir and anticipate an in-flow with out relieving the dam quickly...many of my friends lost camps and homes 14 feet off the ground....thats what a greedy man in an office does....an he goes home and blames the homeowners for moving there

[@mystbunnygaming1449]

Jonathan Carnahan Holy shit, talk about the root of all evil!

[@yanaslife7335]

not intentional right

[@JeffStokerCFM]

wow!!!

[@daveyboy8907]

Don't you just love geoengineering???This is not from mother nature..

[@braydenspikes6139]

me daddy lil chris wnt to see this and CREIG