Effects of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane in Florida small dike that had been built at the south end of the lake. The resulting flood covered an area of hundreds of square miles with water that in some places was over 20 ft (6 m) deep. Houses were floated off of their foundations and dashed to pieces against any obstacle they encountered. Most survivors and bodies were washed out into the Everglades where many of the bodies were never found. Agricultural losses in the area surrounding Lake Okeechobee were also significant, with virtually all crops destroyed and over 150 tractors suffering damage. On Kreamer Island, many residents received information
Lake Okeechobee one point near the center of the lake. The name "Okeechobee" comes from the Hitchiti words "oki" (water) and "chubi" (big). Mayaimi, meaning "big water," is the oldest known name, as reported in the 16th century, by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda. Slightly later in the 16th century René Goulaine de Laudonnière reported hearing about a large freshwater lake in southern Florida called "Serrope". By the 18th century the largely mythical lake was known to British mapmakers and chroniclers by the Spanish name "Laguna de Espiritu Santo." In the early 19th century it was known as "Mayacco Lake" or "Lake Mayaca"