Using GIS to Provide Tropical Decision Support Services to the Lake Okeechobee Region

The Lake Okeechobee region is one of the most hurricane-vulnerable parts of Florida. A combination of socioeconomic factors and the flat topography of the region made it the site of the largest loss of life from a tropical cyclone in the state’s history. The mitigating response after the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane by the federal government was to build the Herbert Hoover Dike around most of Lake Okeechobee to serve as a layer of protection for lake communities. Over the past 10 years, repairs and renovations to the dike have been made to strengthen it for future storms. Even with the engineering progress made, weather information is key for decision-makers to prevent future losses of life from tropical cyclones that may affect the region.

Providing weather information to Lake Okeechobee region decision-makers facing a tropical threat required new techniques that were easily-accessible and user-friendly. NWS Miami-South Florida developed an Esri Story Map, known as the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane Monitor. The Monitor provides live GIS weather forecast data to emergency managers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and NWS forecast offices in Miami and Melbourne via a common platform that can be used during public safety collaborations regarding the lake region.

The Lake Okeechobee Hurricane Monitor was first used during Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Its use allowed NWS Miami-South Florida to successfully supply live weather data to decision-makers. With this information, decision-makers then could coordinate an evacuation effort of vulnerable lake communities due to impacts from a major hurricane during a time when portions of the lake’s protective dike were under construction and, hence, more vulnerable to impacts from the storm.