The Great Drought - What They Aren't Telling You

with virtually no news coverage it is understandable that most ppl dont realize that america and other portions of the globe are in the midst of one of the worst droughts in recorded history. florida is currenlty suffering thru its worst drought since record keeping began in the early 1900's. California, Nevada and much of the western section of america continues to slog thru a years long drought with no relief in site. north texas is now experiencing its worst drought since 1950.

the hardest hit area in the world however is australia, where they are currently making plans to start treating sewage water to drink due to alarming low levels of ground water and fresh water supplies. farmers are going bankrupt, and there is talk of abandoning entire cities where the drought is most severe.

china has seen drought conditions worsen by 25% in the last year. and spain continues to see its arable land be eaten by desertification at a steadily climbing rate each year. and in africa, drought and desertification slowly makes its way south.

why? its a good question. i personally believe it has everything to do with deforestation. trees hold moisture in the soil, and also release moisture into the atmosphere, thus stimulating rainfall. without trees we have no rain, and without rain we have no food.

sooner or later we will have to undertake a massive reforestation campaign on a global level. till then we will continue to suffer these droughts.

when will the mainstream media wake up and start telling us about the worldwide drought? another good question.

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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2465960.ece


Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim
By Kathy Marks in Sydney
Published: 20 April 2007

Australia has warned that it will have to switch off the water supply to the continent's food bowl unless heavy rains break an epic drought - heralding what could be the first climate change-driven disaster to strike a developed nation.

The Murray-Darling basin in south-eastern Australia yields 40 per cent of the country's agricultural produce. But the two rivers that feed the region are so pitifully low that there will soon be only enough water for drinking supplies. Australia is in the grip of its worst drought on record, the victim of changing weather patterns attributed to global warming and a government that is only just starting to wake up to the severity of the position.

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http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20070521/farm-scene.htm


"'We can honestly say this is one of the most severe droughts that we have dating back to when records started in the early 1900s,"' said Randy Smith, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District.

Hope for relief came Sunday when up to 7 inches of rain fell in parts of South Florida, according to meteorologist Brad Diehl at the National Weather Service in Miami.

But the rain was largely along the coast instead of inland and in the area of Lake Okeechobee. "'This is probably going to have very little effect on the drought,"' said Bob Ebaugh of the weather service. "'If it were over Lake Okeechobee we'd be in a much better picture."'

The $15 billion landscaping and nursery industries might be getting hit the hardest by the drought. It is the largest sector of Florida agriculture and second nationally behind California. Its growers are concentrated around Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties on the rain-starved Atlantic Coast.

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this is from an agricultural site that monitors drought conditions throughout the US.


http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=132262


Hot on the heels of last week’s downturn in Wyoming’s statewide average snow water equivalent levels, they once again saw a large drop of 16%, leaving them at a dismal 28% of average after being at just 69% of average two weeks ago. In California, the drought continues to encroach on more of coastal California with the advancement northward of D2(A) and D3(A) up into the San Francisco Bay region. Pasture and range conditions are exceptionally bad for this time of year with 96% of the state being reported by USDA as poor or very poor. The onset of the dry season doesn’t bode well for recovery in these areas and the potential for fires remains high. The Los Angeles vicinity is still on pace to set a record for their driest rain season.

The Southeast and Mid-Atlantic: The cooler temperatures last week helped, but essentially all of these two regions were bone dry (except for the southern tip of FL), again with the only significant rains being confined to the southern tip of Florida. This is simply not enough to stave off, or reverse, the persistent drought that is now taking hold on the region as summer approaches.

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http://www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2007/05/23/little_elm_journal/news/a-...


Officials caution water conservation as North Texas drought persists
By Bria Bolton, Staff writer

Although recent rainfall in North Texas has brought some relief, the worst drought since the 1950s rages on.

The North Texas Municipal Water District depends on three reservoirs — Lavon Lake, Lake Jim Chapman and Lake Texoma — to provide water to those who live in and around the Metroplex.

As of May 22, Lavon Lake is almost completely full with an elevation of 491.35 feet, which is less than a foot below the conservation pool level, but Lake Jim Chapman has an elevation of only 429.85 feet, more than 10 feet below normal. This is proof that rainfall doesn’t mean the end of the drought.

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http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20070524/localnews/175213.shtml


Georgia farmers struggle to feed herds in drought


Georgia cattlemen are having a hard time feeding their herds because the state's extended drought has dried up pastures and seriously cut hay production.

Pasture damage varies throughout the state. In most places, 70 to 80 percent is in poor to very poor condition, according to the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service.

In southcentral Georgia, 90 percent of the pastures are poor to very poor.

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drought conditions are up 25% in china, but there has been no news of it


http://www.interfax.cn/displayarticle.asp?aid=24264&slug=CHINA-COMMODITIES-DR...


Drought in China affects 14.93 mln hectares of arable land

Shanghai. May 24. INTERFAX-CHINA - Drought affected 224 million mu (14.93 million hectares) of arable land this year in China by May 17, an increase of 45 million mu (3 million hectares), or 25.14 percent, from the same period last year, according to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

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