Posted on 05/03/2006 9:07:07 AM PDT by Graybeard58
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The dike keeping the nation's second-largest lake from overflowing has a high chance of failing in the event of another hurricane and poses "a grave and imminent danger," according to a state-hired panel of engineering experts.
Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he was worried about the report, which noted that the dike has a one in six chance of being breached in the event of a hurricane.
Bush said he would discuss the findings, issued late Monday, in a meeting Tuesday with Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and R. David Paulison, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The engineering experts were hired to evaluate the dike's ability to withstand additional hurricanes after the beating it took from Hurricane Wilma last October, Bush said.
Lake Okeechobee is surrounded by the 143-mile Herbert Hoover dike, which was built in the 1950s in part to prevent another disaster such as the 1928 hurricane.
In that hurricane, flooding and storm surge from the lake killed more than 2,000 people.
The 730-square mile lake is the second largest natural freshwater lake within the contiguous United States, behind Lake Michigan.
A failure of the dike would likely result in widespread devastation to the area, resulting in billions of dollars in damages, irreversible harm to the Everglades and a contamination of South Florida's drinking water supply, the report said.
Bush said he also was pushing for a quick solution to repair the dike and was dispatching his own disaster preparedness chief for an update on the situation.
"FEMA doesn't need any more breaches nor does the state of Florida," Bush said.
She'd be happier if she moved to Massachusetts anyway.
The one's next door to me are fine. They survived Ivan and Dennis with no problem. The redhead one is kinda cute though.......
How do you know she may not survive the next hurricane?
Let's just start the blame game now, shall we?
It's Bush's fault. Both of them.
Oh boy....
Sorry, I thought this was about Rosie O'Donut's Flori-duh winter home.
Nevermind.
Alternate headline:
Bush to push for quick dike relief.........
Donna Shalala will be just fine. She'll be in that pickup truck with Janet Reno...
Have you ever put your finger in a dike?
1/6= 16.67% chance.
Sounds like the good citizens of Florida need to anty up and pay to fix the dike. At least Jeb is not demanding that the feds come in and pay for it.
She and Butch Rhino sent condolence cards...
So that's how Jimmy Hoffa's been hiding!
Don't let facts enter this discussion. < /sarc >
Would she still qualify for that title if I had?
I guess that would depend on your prowess with said finger, wouldn't it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.