Drought

Proclaims State of Emergency, Directs Government to Utilize Resources, Help People

02/27/2009 -- To combat California’s third consecutive year of drought, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today proclaimed a state of emergency and ordered immediate action to manage the crisis. In the proclamation, the Governor uses his authority to direct all state government agencies to utilize their resources, implement a state emergency plan and provide assistance for people, communities and businesses impacted by the drought.    » read more »

Feb. 26, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the creation of a Federal Drought Action Team that will work cooperatively to respond to communities facing significant drought. With California currently facing one of its worst droughts in decades, the Drought Action Team will work with Governor Schwarzenegger's state drought response team to minimize the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the current drought.    » read more »

02/26/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement on Senator Dave Cogdill’s (R-Modesto) introduction of SB 371:

“Despite the recent rainstorms, California would still need to see weeks of drenching rain to avoid an extreme drought situation this summer. Our water crisis underscores the urgent need to update California’s water infrastructure so we are able to capture excess rain in wet years and have the necessary reserves in dry years like this one-this is critical to our economy, our jobs, our environment and our way of life.    » read more »

01/29/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement after the Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted its second snow survey of the 2008-2009 season, which showed statewide Sierra snowpack water content at only 61 percent of normal:

“California is entering a third straight year of drought, and today’s snow survey is just one more piece of evidence that we urgently need comprehensive water reform to protect our economy, our jobs, our communities and our quality of life. California is headed toward one of the worst water crises in its history, underscoring the need to upgrade our water infrastructure by increasing water storage, improving conveyance, protecting the Delta’s ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation.”    » read more »

English and Spanish transcripts of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's weekly radio address are below.

06/07/2008 -- California Governor Schwarzenegger:

Hi, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

Dry cornfield, California: Photo by Jimmy McDonald (CC)

Now, this week we took some major action to address California's growing water crisis.

Over the last 2 years, our state has suffered from low rainfall, low snowpack and court-ordered restrictions on pumping from the Delta.    » read more »

4-06-2008 -- Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is significantly stepping up its humanitarian relief work in Somalia to respond to the deepening crisis there.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis face life-threatening food and water shortages due to the escalating armed conflict and the effects of the recent severe drought in central Somalia.

Somalia, April 2008: Photo by Feinstein International Center (CC)

High inflation and the worldwide rise in commodity prices, especially for key imports such as food and fuel, are aggravating the situation.    » read more »

Reminds Citizens That Worsening Drought Conditions Mean Conservation Still Important

5/29/2008 -- Raleigh - North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today said worsening drought conditions in western North Carolina should be a warning to citizens that the state has not fully recovered from the drought. He also advised citizens to continue using water wisely since a hot, dry summer is likely.

Falls Lake, North Carolina: Photo by Kevin Greene (CC)    » read more »

May 13, 2008 -- GAINESVILLE, Ga—Today on the banks of a depleted Lake Lanier, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed the Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act of 2008, SB 342. The legislation will expedite the construction of new reservoirs throughout the state.

Lake Lanier, Georgia drought: March 4th 2007 (left), February 11th 2008 (right). Montage by Brian Hursey (CC)    » read more »

May 12, 2008 -- MACON, Ga – Today Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed an executive order suspending the collection of the state gas tax on diesel sold for off-road uses. Governor Perdue also signed several agricultural-related pieces of legislation during his visit to Farm Bureau headquarters in Macon: Senate Bill 515, House Bill 649, and House Bill 1178 and House Bill 1088.

Georgia tractor at work in cornfield: Photo by Judy Baxter (CC)    » read more »

May 9, 2008 -- A warm, windy summer could mean more wildfires for Colorado, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced at his annual wildfire briefing today

Conditions on the Eastern Plains and in northwest Colorado may contribute to higher-than-average wildfire activity. Fire experts also are concerned about the foothills and lower elevations east of the Continental Divide due to the abundance of dead, dry grass produced by the wet winter of 2006/2007.

Forest firefighting via helicopter, Colorado, 2007: Photo by Brad (CC)

The recent dry weather in western Colorado also has them on alert.    » read more »

Commends Actions of Firefighters in Combating Brush Fires

April 25, 2008 -- As dry weather conditions persist and the state’s forest fire danger continues to be elevated, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today reminded residents of the current restrictions on burning brush on their property.

Forest fire: Photo by waterboi_atx

The Governor said that even if a property owner has received a permit from a local Open Burning Official to burn brush, the property owner can not do so within 100 feet of a grassland or woodland when the state’s forest fire danger is high.    » read more »

21 April 2008 -- Africa’s climate, more than that of any other continent, is generally uniform. That’s the result of the position of the continent in the tropical zone, the impact of cool ocean currents, and the absence of mountain chains serving as climatic barriers.

But across Africa, the landscape is changing. The snowy caps of Mount Kilimanjaro are melting and the shorelines of lakes Chad, Tanganyika and Victoria are receding.

Mount Kilimanjaro: Photo by mailliw (CC)    » read more »

Six Western North Carolina Communities Will Benefit from Federal ARC Funds

3/17/2008 -- Raleigh - North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today announced that six western North Carolina communities are eligible for total of $1.58 million in grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help expand their public water supplies. The six towns; Lenoir, Valdese, Tryon, Marshall, Mars Hill and Blowing Rock, were chosen because they are among those in the state that are facing the most severe water shortages.    » read more »

Conservation Still Needed Following Recent Rainfall

3/13/2008 -- Raleigh - North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today asked citizens throughout North Carolina to continue their water conservation efforts since the latest federal drought map shows that 97 of the state’s 100 counties are still in some form of drought.    » read more »

04 March 2008 -- The onset of a water crisis in Kenya at the time of political instability and ethnic unrest has threatened pastoralists in the far northern and southeastern reaches of the country. The anti-poverty agency Action Aid Kenya has sounded an alert about the shortages and their potential consequences, not only for the survival of grazing herds, but also for the livelihood of the herdsmen. Action Aid international communications coordinator for Africa Eric Mgendi says the drought warning signs are cropping up far beyond Kenya’s borders.    » read more »