Have you wondered why is there a berm around Lake Okeechobee?
Over the years, many people have wanted to know the reason for this berm.
Around Lake Okeechobee ?” width=”549″ height=”541″ /> Why is There a Berm Around Lake Okeechobee?
You will find the massive dike surrounding
Lake Okeechobee
, and I was told that it was created because of the 1928 storm.
Like
Lake Okeechobee
is fun and risky for many reasons.
From May to October, the water levels rise, which releases phosphorus into the lake.
Farmers have learned to protect themselves during the rainy season since the 1910s.
They started creating rudimentary embankments around its perimeter with sand and mud to prevent water from flooding their investments and homes.
Today, a berm has taken over this practice.
Why should you come to
Lake Okeechobee
?
You can take a dip if you forget about the toxic water.
The lake got many exciting things to do, but the lake’s dike can leave you wondering if you are a newcomer.
Why is there a berm around Lake Okeechobee?
There is a berm around Lake Okeechobee because it controls the overflow.
In the early 1900s, farmers complained that the Everglades was overflowing into their farms.
As a result, the authorities built a berm to control the overflow.
The berm is about six feet high but does not surround the lake.
Why is there a berm around Lake Okeechobee?
What is the purpose of the berm in the road?
The berms act as small banks on the outside of landings and roads.
In addition, the berm directs stormwater away from the many erosion-prone fills.
As a result, the berm helps the ground to stay away from destruction caused by storms.
Is there a town under Lake Okeechobee?
Yes, there is a town called the Kreamer Island under Lake Okeechobee.
Although the island has become a ghost town, but it holds many relics
For instance, the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners started digging on Kreamer Island and found artifacts on the bottom of Lake Okeechobee.
I have always know that Florida got some haunted locales that you can find throughout the state.
My grandparents told me many gooosebump-inducing and spine tingling stories about many haunted stories bordering around Florida.
For instance, I heard that the Florida lighthouse was haunted.
I was told that there was an underwater ghost town in Florida of frightening proportions, and it was Kreamer Island.
In 1928, the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane was named the second most dangerous in the United States, following the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.
How did this hurricane happen?
As a Category 5 Hurricane, it started in
Puerto Rico
before it moved to Florida with 160 MPH wind.
Lake Okeechobee was the most hit of this hurricane.
Unfortunately, the hurricane created a 20 feet water level that cleared out many habitants.
The fatalities were in the thousands, and
Lake Okeechobee
Hurricane destroyed many communities.
Some of the communities destroyed include; Canal Point, Pahokee, Belle Glade, South Bay, Port Mayaca, Sand Cut, Okeelanta, Bean City, Ritta Island, Kreamer Island, Lake Harbor, and Chosen.
However, some destroyed places like Belle Glade, were rebuilt, while others ended up as lost communities.
The Aftermath of Lake Okeechobee Hurricane
The authority constructed the Herbert Hover Dike around the lake to prevent a recurrence of the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane.
The structures stands at 20 feet, which has made it difficult for the 1928 destruction to happen again.
Most of the destruction happened in the sugar fields located on the southern part of the Palm Beach County, especially in the sugar cane fields of the Everglades watershed.
Okeelanta
Some rebuilding didn’t pull through after the hurricane.
Okeelanta didn’t find itself because of lack of investors in the project.
However, a sugar refining facilities close to the town site still bears Okeelanta.
Port Mayaca
Port Mayaca in Martin County ended up as US 441/98.
The town became where most burials happened after the hurricane.
Initially US 441/98 operated on Old Conners Highway through Port Mayaca before it was raised to a new alignment following the completion of local locks.
However, Port Mayaca found its place and got a Post Office Service in 1958.
Kreamer Island
Kreamer Island was situated on the southeast shore of Lake Okeechobee, and got inhabitants in the 19th century.
The island was one of the first communities settled around Lake Okeechobee.
However, Kreamer Island suffered numerous large scale floods related to hurricanes and got under the water because of the 1928 Hurricane.
Sadly,
when the Herbert Hoover Dam
road was opened, access to Kreamer Island was cut off.
Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD)
Herbert Hoover Dike is a popular earthen dam surrounding Lake Okeechobee and is 143 miles deep.
You can find it at the center of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system.
HHD helps reduce the effect of flooding resulting from the impacts from high lake levels that could affect a large area of South Florida.
The first time the embankment started was circa 1915 and it was made from muck and sand.
However, hurricane tides crushed the embankments and lead to the death of 2500 people in 1928.
As a result, the River and Harbors Act of 1930 ordered the construction of levee along the south and north shore.
It took the Army Corps of Engineers between 1932 and 1938 to construct the levees.
In 1947, another major hurricane forced the authority to consider more flood and storm damage control.
The authorization led to the first phase of the Central and South Florida (C&SF) Project.
The project became a comprehensive plan that helped reduce flood and storm damage in central and
south Florida
.
Furthermore, the new dike system was named the Herbert Hoover Dike after completion and it has hurricane gates, 143 miles of levee, and other water control structures.
There have been more constructions over the years to reduce the failure of the structure that has lasted for years.
FAQs
When was the berm built around Lake Okeechobee?
The berm was built in 1915 from muck and sand.
The first embankments around Lake Okeechobee were constructed by local interest from sand and muck, circa 1915.
Is there a ghost town in Florida?
Yes,
Florida has a ghost town like Kreamer Island
.
In addition, the state has boarded-up churches and cemeteries, including creak old buildings.
However, these towns are not haunted but are occupied by
creepy crawlies
.
Is Okeechobee a man-made lake?
No,
Lake Okeechobee
is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the country.
.