U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Jacksonville District (USACE) wants to assure its partners, stakeholders, and the communities around Lake Okeechobee that we are actively monitoring Lake Okeechobee and Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) as Hurricane Milton approaches, and at this time, we do not have concerns about the lake level or safety of the dike.

Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) was inspected following Hurricane Helene just last week, and Jacksonville District staff have checked all structures and the dike in advance of Hurricane Milton. The goal of our inspections is to detect minor issues and address them before they develop into major problems. There are no issues with the dike. As the lake level rises, the frequency of HHD inspections increases so that any potential issues are detected and addressed quickly.

Lake Okeechobee was 15.6 feet as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8. We are not making releases from the lake prior to the storm. As is our standard process, we will close all structures on the lake during the storm to maintain the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike.

Forecasts are still evolving, and we are tracking that closely. Based on the National Hurricane Center (NHC) Hurricane Milton forecasts, risk at HHD is low. We reevaluate HHD risk with each updated forecast from the NHC.

The district plans to continue holding weekly media calls to keep the public informed of lake operations and may opt to schedule additional virtual news conferences as needed during the storm recovery.