Moore Haven marks 100 years since hurricane exposed deadly flaw in Lake Okeechobee protection

MOORE HAVEN, Fla. (WINK) — A century ago, only five feet of muck protected the city of Moore Haven from Lake Okeechobee.

That barrier gave way 100 years ago when the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane came roaring through Florida. WINK Weather Authority Meteorologist Katie Walls reported from Moore Haven.

Times were good in the early 1920s for people in Moore Haven as produce and fish were plentiful. In 1926, Moore Haven was known as "Little Chicago" as developers and people came through.

There was just one problem. The constant flooding from heavy rain and Lake Okeechobee seeping into the streets threatened the community.

The only hope at the time was a five-foot muck bank to keep Lake Okeechobee at bay. Butch Jones' property sits along part of the old bank where it became clear that the muck wasn't enough.

"The levee is right over here, Park Avenue," said Jones, a former Glades County commissioner.

"When it spilled over, the majority of the spill came at first, and the further you got away, then the lighter it became," Jones said.

Leigh Woodham with the Clewiston Museum teaches students about the history of the hurricanes and shares why the dike was built.

Jacksonville District – Herbert Hoover Dike

"It was built in response to what happened," Woodham said. "The community wrote, the members of the community wrote to their congressmen and their senators, pleading for help, and Herbert Hoover signed it into… was the president when it was signed into law."

"And so it's important to know that that's here when and say, I can see that I'm right next to Lake Okeechobee, but I can't see it," Woodham said. "Where is it? I keep trying to find it. Where is it? So it's important to note, for people to understand why that is here."

Construction of the dike began in the 1930s. Additional work continued for decades to expand it around the lake, protecting everyone.