It’s only been a few weeks since Hurricane Irma battered our farms and farming communities.
EAA farmers have been working overtime to make sure our farms and farming communities south of Lake Okeechobee have the resources they need to get back on their feet. We’ve delivered more than 10,000 meals to local residents in need and our farms have donated thousands of pounds of food to local food banks.
But, it’s not just business as usual in the EAA.
Hurricane Irma’s floodwaters continue to race into Lake Okeechobee from the watersheds north of the Lake – putting a stress on the already vulnerable Herbert Hoover Dike. The Army Corps of Engineers is evaluating the dike weekly because, if the dike fails, it would be catastrophic for our communities.
Irma is a reminder of Florida’s need to complete repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike, as well as projects that address the unchecked volumes of water that rush into Lake Okeechobee and threaten to the integrity for the Herbert Hoover Dike.
It is critical to that we focus on immediate solutions for protecting South Florida from future hurricanes and floodwaters for the health and safety of all those who live in the farming communities south of Lake Okeechobee.
If we don’t address these critical, infrastructure needs – we may not be able to recover from the next hurricane.