Drought Is Worst On Record For Four States

Updated 2:09 PM ET August 6, 1999 By Barbara Hagenbaugh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four eastern states are experiencing the worst drought on record and there is little hope of relief until winter, President Clinton and government officials said Friday.

Weeks of withering heat without rain in the mid-Atlantic region have destroyed crops, stressed livestock, dried up wells, and forced some areas to restrict water use.

Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island are being parched by the worst drought on record, officials said. Meanwhile, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and West Virginia had the second-lowest rainfall from April to July since the government started collecting data 105 years ago.

"Throughout much of this country we have seen the worse drought since the Dust Bowl days," Clinton said, referring to the 1929 drought that worsened the Great Depression.

Forecasters said there was little sign that the drought will ease before winter, when cooler temperatures will allow moisture to soak into the soil. Currently, extreme heat is causing any rainfall to evaporate, officials said.

"This could be a drought that continues on for a long time," James Baker, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said at a briefing.

Eastern states reported precipitation levels between eight and 18 inches below average for the last year. It would take two torrential, tropical storms -- which is highly unlikely -- to make up for the losses, officials said.

Forecasters expect a meager half-inch to two inches of rain to fall in the next two months.

Many mid-Atlantic farmers, including seventh-generation beef producer Gene Mullinix, are selling off herds because they cannot raise the grain and hay needed to feed their cattle.

"If they (cattle) have any kind of a question mark, they are going to go to McDonald's," Mullinix of Lisbon, Md., said.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman declared all of West Virginia and 33 counties surrounding the state as farm emergency areas this week, clearing the way for farmers to apply for low-interest government loans.

His department is considering requests from Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Arizona and New Mexico to have drought emergencies declared.

Farmers are seeing the lowest prices in a generation for many of their crops due to ample global stocks and decreased export demand. "You've got a double whammy," Glickman said.

The Senate passed a $7.6 billion farm package Wednesday to help struggling farmers, but Clinton criticized it for not including specific funds to aid drought- stricken producers.

Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican, told reporters that Congress would consider the drought when lawmakers take up the measure next month. He declined to estimate any dollar amount for drought aid, saying lawmakers will look to the Clinton Administration for a recommendation.

So far, the drought has put little downward pressure on grain prices because most crops are grown in central states. But there are fears that drought conditions are creeping into the eastern part of the Corn Belt.

Retail food prices are not expected to sh

-- Forum regular (this is the world@this is the world on.Y2k), August 06, 1999

Answers

Why, it's so dry here in Moo York that the cows are givin' powdered milk.

-- Spidey (in@jammy.commie), August 06, 1999.

WE have a small herd of cows that we just started raising. Our fields are drying up and we might have to start feeding grain. Does anyone know how these drought aid programs work?

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), August 06, 1999.

Yea, it's no fun here in NJ. Watching the storms to the north in Boston, south in DC, but not a drop here! Maybe this weekend... <:(=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), August 06, 1999.

Yes, I know, here in Pennsylvania we are in the same boat. I fear a forest fire. Crops here are lost,ground so dry. Lucky I have water yet, well is a rock bed, told that is the best to have.

-- Cassandra (american_storm@usa.net), August 06, 1999.

What I'm wondering is what is going to happen when people start drawing off more water from the dangerously low supply to fill all their 55 gallon drums, etc????

Also, saw a story today where the ATF responded to a tip and searched a house in D.C. or Maryland looking for bomb making materials. They discovered a home where people were collecting 55 gallon drums to fill with water for Y2K. The news people treated it all as a joke.

-- Waterboy (storage@Y2K.com), August 06, 1999.

This is all just a little to reminiscent of the 1930s!!

Boy, we all here over and over that history repeats itself, but please not in my lifetime.

-- David Butts (dciinc@aol.com), August 06, 1999.

Waterboy,

Good point.

I have been lurking for a while and have wondered why no one has talked about the drought and the decreasing water supply in the mid- east. It has taken two/three years to reach this point due to low rainfalls. What happens if we have another year of low rainfall? What will next summer be like?

I hope everyone in the regions of the drought have already stored their water. They might need it despite y2k.

-- Lurker (lurking@y'all.com), August 06, 1999.

Saw a brief piece on TV news a few days ago ... official in Maryland talking about the wells going dry and how the reservoir that supplies Baltimore will be dry within 35 days.

Time to do some rain prayer/dances for the east coast... We are almost as bad off here in TX after last years really hot dry summer ... but we were lucky and got some good winter/spring rains. But municipalities have already begun water restrictions.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), August 06, 1999.

I too have wondered why more people aren't concerned about the drought. Here in my part of MO we have had record high temperatures and my yard looks like toast. If this keeps up Y2K will not be our only worry.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), August 06, 1999.

I heard on PBS radio today that the lack of rainfall decreases the humidity and makes it 5 to 10 degrees hoter because all of the sun energy heats the soil instead of some it going to evaporate the water. This also makes it more difficult for it to rain again as there is no humidity in the air to start the process. A well driller was complaining about all of the extra work and he was swamped because he already had a backlog of people drilling wells for Y2k. Remember the depression? A major factor that made it worse was the dust bowl where the farms were blowing away due to lack of rain. Could it happen again? This could have as big an impact on food supplies and prices as Y2k.

-- Moe (Moe@3stooges.gom), August 06, 1999.

Sysman

No rain here in DC and at our farm in WV the pond is down 2 1/2 feet. Some areas near Frederick Md are hauling water as the wells are dry. Same in some towns in VA.

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), August 06, 1999.

" On Thursday, July 22nd, utility officials in New Hampshire released 4 billion gallons of water into the drought-stricken Connecticut River during a campaign trip by Vice President Gore ". I hope he enjoyed his little photo op.

-- kozak (kozak@formerusaf.guv), August 06, 1999.