Lake Okeechobee dike needs repair, but Corps of Engineer cry "terror".

[madfloridian]

They won't tell anyone where the weaknesses are because the terrorists will try to hurt the people living there. This is so Bushspeak/Orwellian that is beyond stupid. It is just callous and sick.

Good for this Lakeland Ledger editorial which points this out so well. Even the Republicans seeking information are getting none. Republican Mark Foley is especially irate...about time. This could be a tragic situation, and they are not going to fix it.

Army engineers stonewall.

Residents living near Lake Okeechobee -- its massive waters held back by a dike built during the Hoover administration -- have found an unlikely source of terror: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

It's bad enough that a report by independent engineers, headed by Lakeland's Les Bromwell, found that the dike has weakened over the years and is in need of immediate strengthening.

But when The Palm Beach Post asked the corps for more detailed information about the dike so residents might be made aware of the most dangerous locations, the corps refused the request, saying "to reveal this type of information would only assist those who might seek to harm the residents downstream by damaging the dike."

That area got lucky with Ernesto's weakening, but that means little. Mark Foley is getting irritated, about time.

How can I authorize help for them if they won't tell me where they're most susceptible?" U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fort Pierce, asked a Post reporter.

Foley is trying to move a $300 million repair project up in priority.

He also said he can't understand the corps' logic. "I'm somewhat perplexed by the homeland security argument," said Foley, adding that there are many higher-profile targets in the United States than a dike.

Just who the hell is this Nanciann Regalado? She does not sound too bright, and she does not care about the people living around Lake Okeechobee.

Nanciann Regalado, spokeswoman for the corps, told the Post that it's not just al-Qaeda that must be feared. "There's plenty of people who want to do bad things. . . We're not going to take the risk of putting out those exact coordinates for the dike's weak points."

Oh, my God, they are just afraid of everything, aren't they? Whiny babies.

[shain from kane]

1. Blame it on beavers.

From the internets ---

"Beavers, muskrats, and nutria are all aquatic mammals in the rodent family that have a tendency to modify lake and wetland habitat. Most of the damage caused by beavers is the result of bank burrowing, dam building, tree cutting, or flooding. Beavers cut trees along the water’s edge to build their dams and lodges; this can damage riparian buffers and creates a nuisance to shoreline homeowners who value their trees. In addition, beaver dams can block creeks, drainage ditches, culverts and spillways, causing adjacent lands and roads to be damaged by flooding and erosion.

Beavers, muskrat, and nutria can weaken levees or earthen dams by burrowing into the banks, which may cause them to collapse during periods of high water. The holes made for their burrows along the shoreline can represent erosion problems. In addition, large populations of muskrats and nutria can eat excessive amounts of aquatic vegetation, making the habitat less suitable for other wildlife."

[madfloridian]

2. Can't do that. Got blame the terrorists...and others who want to kill us.

If we don't, we can't keep the fear going strong. :sarcasm:

[shain from kane]

3. Well, I was terrified of the first beaver that I saw, but I got over it.

[madfloridian]

4. That's nice.

No further comment on that.