From: The News Service of Florida
Gov. Rick Scott signed an executive order Friday declaring a state of emergency for counties impacted by the ongoing discharge of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. The order, which called on the Obama administration to fund repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding the lake, authorizes Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon to coordinate assistance for Lee, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
The order allows Koon to determine the level of relief needed and to seek assistance from the federal government and through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact with other states. “Our communities are in imminent danger of prolonged flooding and environmental devastation if the dike is ever compromised,” Scott said in a release accompanying his order. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has increased water releases from the lake to ease pressure on the dike from a buildup of water caused by recent heavy rains. Last week, the corps approved Scott’s request to divert some water from the lake south into the Everglades.