[b]Drought Approaching National Disaster?[/b]

Here is a collection of a handful of articles...If the drought situation does not improve, it is becoming painfully obvious according to these reports that [b]Disaster & Emergency[/b] level measures will be taken by summer.

Here are the article links with a short description of each article:

[b]U.S. East Coast suffering 'most severe drought on record'[/b]
HANCOCK, N.Y. - U.S. trout fishermen converged on East Coast mountain streams for the new season last week only to discover a drought that water authorities fear could become a national disaster this summer.
[URL=http://www.survivalforum.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=272&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0]Article Link[/URL]

[b]Drought forces water cuts in N.Y. City [/b]
Crisis shifts from urgency to emergency; other states affected...MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG declared a drought emergency in the city March 26, turning fountains dry, restricting sidewalk washing and making car washing harder. The restrictions took effect Monday.
[URL=http://www.survivalforum.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=271&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0]Article Link[/URL]

[b]A town in drought strains for relief [/b]
April 12, 2002 - "I call it camping in my own house," she says.

What's happening to Mrs. Miller and her family is being replayed up and down the East Coast as localized areas of the region cope with the worst winter drought since the 1930s.
[URL=http://www.survivalforum.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=270&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0]Article Link[/URL]

[b]Maine suffering worst drought in 107 years [/b]
(AP) -- Carol Noonan knew the drought was bad when she ran out of water in the middle of her shower and had to rinse her soapy hair with the only water around: in her dog's drinking bucket.
[URL=http://www.survivalforum.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=269&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0]Article Link[/URL]

Further local reports from you would be greatly appreciated (especially with links to local newspaper reports online).

I am interested in confirming the severity of the drought situation...We definitely are not in drought here in Michigan.

Franklin
[url=http://www.survivalforum.com]SurvivalForum[/url]

How can there be Global Warming and Drought at the same time?

IMHO, neither exist.

Sgtar15

Nonsense.

We seem to be having the usual spring sogginess in Ohio.

It has been pretty dry down here in Az. for the last three years, or so. I don't have a link, but the Gov. was down here last week talking to ranchers and farmers about getting fed. aid.

This might work as a link. [url]www.willcoxrangenews.com[/url] about the middle of the page.

OK. We'll start calling it a rainfall deficit just for you.

An interesting map:

[url]http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html[/url]

It's been an extremely dry year in SoCal, so as a precaution I've been storing my urine in large vats in case of emergency.

All the water has gone underground, or someone is stealing it.

Here in Colorado where I live we are an agricultural area that is dependent upon ditch irrigation. We have been told that at the present time we will be getting only about 65% of the irrigation water that we need. It may get worse if we do not get our April and May rains. The snow pack in the mountains is about 60% below normal. This effects the states around us like Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma,
California and Arizona. Because of the drought the fire danger in the mountains is already rated as high in some counties and open fires are banned. This usually does not happen until mid summer. Thanks for the map hardcase. According to the map we are in a severe drought area and I believe it is correct.

[b]shooter505[/b]

Do you have any links to local papers that discusses the problem there?

also...it appears that the problem exist all over various parts of the US and not just confined to a portion thereof

Franklin
[url=http://www.survivalforum.com]SurvivalForum[/url]

I took these two photos at Prettyboy Resevoir a few weeks ago, looks awful drought like here in Maryland. (first attempt a posting pics, hope it works)
[img]http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jburgan3/2.jpg[/img]
This is all supposed to be underwater
[img]http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jburgan3/6.jpg[/img]

Well it's pissin' down rain outside my window, and has been all day.

survivalforum I searched under drought on the Pueblo Chieftain and I found 65 articles. You may want to try the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post also. Another place you may want to look will be the Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service. [url]http://www.chieftain.com/[/url]

[b]stratsandaks[/b] Thanks for the pics!

[b]Paul[/b] I hope you are right that this is much to do about nothing. The reasons I am interested in following this:

1.) Remember Bush (the first summer in office) held a press conference stating that this country was going to see an energy crisis like nothing before? (he was referring to electrical power) Why? The California situation, etc...in hind site, I am sure he had Enron in mind...they own MANY small electric utilities and they were one of the the largest brokers in the world.

2.) The "drought" is not localized or even regionalized, it appears to be throughout the country in pockets (which doesn't make much sense to me from a geography/weather standpoint) - Not to mention that Canada appears to be experiencing almost emergency level drought situations as well. In fact here in the US and Canada, I have read reports that some cattle ranchers have been selling their livestock because they have no water for them to drink.

3.) Many localized small electric utilities DEPEND on water to function (most people do not know this)

Anyway, there are other reasons for my interest, but those are the major ones...

I can completely understand your statement however, because I do realize that we need to be very "cautious" regarding reports because I have found that many times there is some kind of "agenda" behind them.

But that my friend is the reason I posted some articles here, so I could get feedback from REAL people that don't "appear" to blow things out of proportion.

Anyway, please keep the articles or input comming...I am very interested in seeing the big picture here.

Kind regards

Franklin
[url=http://www.survivalforum.com]SurvivalForum[/url]

I guess it depends on where you're standing.

[url]www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2002/2002-03-07-utah-drought.htm[/url]

Excerpt from article:
Utah faces worst drought since Great Depression

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's water situation is grim and getting worse. The state faces its worst drought since the 1930s, and the only thing that may help is several seasons of above-average snowfall.

But forecasters and water officials aren't holding their breath.

For the fourth consecutive year, snowpack is well below normal. The soil also is drier than normal, meaning spring runoff will seep into the earth rather than replenish dry reservoirs.

There's no way of knowing for sure if the coming months will bring replenishing rain.

"It's going to be at least as significant as any other drought we've had" since the 1930s, said Tage Flint, manager of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. "We will be asking for significant conservation by all users."

The earth is a closed system, so the water is only somewhere else.

Actually, the Earth isn't a closed system.  Usually a cold trap in the upper atmosphere 'freezes out' water and causes it to return to the surface, or at least keep it's hydrogen from becoming excited and leaving.  As the atmosphere heats up this cold trap will become more and more marginal.  Water will rise, hydrogen will separate and we will have a net loss of water.  Carbon dioxide levels then rise and we get higher temps.  Ramped up greenhouse effect.  It happened to Venus...

I am going to check out the articles and post them if they are interesting...

Franklin
[url=http://www.survivalforum.com]SurvivalForum[/url]

On our 160 acres in Colorado, only one of our ponds has water. Lowest snowpack since 1977. If we don't get the spring rains, we won't run livestock this year.

The forest firefighters are gearing up for an earlier season than normal and fire danger is already at extreme.

Yes, I have read several articles regarding the fact that livestock ranches are actually selling livestock because they [b]have no water[/b] to give them.

Franklin
[url=http://www.survivalforum.com]SurvivalForum[/url]

Here is another:

[b]Residents Urged to Remember Water-Use Restrictions[/b]

Pennsylvania DEP Secretary Urges Residents to Remember Outdoor Water-Use Restrictions

HARRISBURG, Pa. - PRNewswire - April 15 On behalf of Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary David E. Hess today reminded residents living in the 24 Pennsylvania counties currently under a drought emergency to remember the many outdoor water-use restrictions as warmer weather approaches.

"When Gov. Schweiker declared a drought emergency in mid-February, our focus was naturally on indoor water use and conservation methods," Secretary Hess said. [b]"Now that people are starting to plan their gardens and backyard pool schedule, it's important they remember the many outdoor water-use restrictions we all must follow until groundwater and reservoir levels recover."[/b]

Drought regulations require that a person who wants to fill or top-off a swimming pool from a public water supply must first get approval from the public water supplier. Many public water suppliers are requiring that this approval be requested in writing. Approval is not required for filling kiddie pools if they have no recirculation equipment such as filters or pumps.

Although regulations allow for some exceptions, outdoor gardens and landscaped areas can be watered only between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. by using a hand-held container, a hand-held hose equipped with an automatic shut- off nozzle, or an irrigation system designed and operated to restrict the timing or total volume of water and to restrict the application to specific plantings in a manner that ensures effective water conservation.

"Effective water conservation" means that water is applied in the minimum quantities necessary and in a manner that prevents runoff of water to sidewalks, driveways and established grass areas.

Citizens in drought-emergency areas should carefully consider their gardening plans, being sure to take these added constraints into consideration. [b]Private well owners also should consider the added stress this may place on their fragile water supply. [/b]

[b][url=http://www.survivalforum.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=313&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0]Full story and your comments here[/url][/b]

Franklin
[url=http://www.survivalforum.com]SurvivalForum[/url]

Is there still a drought on the East Coast?  It's rained so much in Ohio that the state is in danger of becoming a federally-protected wetland. [;)]

Here in Wisconsin and the rest of the Upper Midwest there has been so much rain that various Governors have asked the Federal government for financial assistance because of floods.  I suspect it's all just part of the normal cycle of things.

I wonder if the situation will result in the "anti's" demanding the banning/confiscation of all water cooled MG's!?!

I kind of question the east coast being in drought myself.

It has rained nearly everyday in my area for the past couple of weeks. We even had some towns declared disaster areas by "W". As an example the town of Hurley, VA was under 8 to 10 feet of water less than 2 weeks ago!

just my .02
Jake

Here in So. Calif. on the radio this morning, the authorities have open the fire season 1 month early so that they can begin hiring firefighters for the worst anticipated fire season in a number of years.

It is not alarmist info.

There are many areas of the country that are still in very serious drought conditions

Franklin
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