Lake Okeechobee Recovery From Hurricanes May Take Years

[hatrack]

ON THE WATERS OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE, Florida — "Standing on an airboat, state biologist Donald Fox surveyed the dying, bare stalks peeking out of the coffee-brown lake water.

This past summer, the vegetation here was lush enough to conceal a boat of duck hunters, Fox said, the result of four years of intense conservation efforts. But four hurricanes in six weeks shredded the plants and left the water several feet too high, chasing off small wading birds, who need shallow water to forage for food. "Basically, we're back to square one," Fox said. "It was very devastating."

Lake Okeechobee felt the effects of all four hurricanes that swept over Florida in August and September. It took direct hits from Frances and Jeanne; a near hit from Charley, which drenched the Kissimmee basin that drains into the lake; and was soaked again by the remnants of Ivan. The second largest freshwater lake within the contiguous United States behind Lake Michigan, Okeechobee is critical to the health of the Everglades and is commonly known as the state's "liquid heart."

The same winds and rain that left at least 83 people dead in Florida and caused an estimated $18 billion (euro14 billion) in insured losses ravaged the lake. Winds at least 79 mph (127 kilometers per hour) and devastating storm surges left the shoreline littered with carcasses of alligators, fish, and birds. The storms flooded the lake's tributaries, which caused its level to rise about a foot (30 centimeters) a week from 12.8 feet (3.9 meters) before Charley, which hit southwestern Florida on Aug. 13, to a crest of just over 18 feet (5.5 meters). The combined effect of flooding and other damage could wipe out an entire generation of the lake's prized game fish — black crappie and large mouth bass, Fox said. Sport fishing brings in $100 million (euro78 million) annually to the economically depressed area.

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http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=264

[SoCalDem]

1. Mother Nature has been messiing with Florida for eons, and

the "damage" done is probably less dangerous that what humans have done, by dumping toxic stuff for decades.. It will recover :)

[hatrack]

2. True enough, but it's gonna be a reeky old mess for a while yet!

Still, as you say, Nature cleans up her messes, given enough time. It's a lot more than you can say for our species.