Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.2
Probability of hurricane landfall along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. (National Oceano-
graphic and Atmospheric Administration)
The second most vulnerable was a surprise: Lake Okeechobee, in
south-central Florida.Only those over ninety years old might recall what
happened in 1928 when a hurricane sloshed the lake's water into a
powerful surge that broke the earthen dam around it. An estimated 2,500
people died in the resulting fl ood. The Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt
the dike, now a massive structure 140 miles long, 45 feet high in places,
and up to 150 feet wide at its base. It is part of the extensive system of
levees, canals, and other engineering structures that turned the lake's
ancient watercourse to the Everglades into farmland. But many are not
certain the dike can withstand an assault from a hurricane.
