Half of US counties now considered disaster areas - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Retro4Life · 08-03-2012, 08:29 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/half-us-counti...210826921.html

By JIM SUHR | Associated Press – Wed, Aug 1, 2012

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S. government's list of natural disaster areas as the nation's agriculture chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers grappling with extreme dryness and heat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's addition of the 218 counties means that more than half of all U.S. counties — 1,584 in 32 states — have been designated primary disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in a drought that's considered the worst in decades.

[Share your story: How is the drought affecting you?]

Counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in Wednesday's announcement. The USDA uses the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor to help decide which counties to deem disaster areas, which makes farmers and ranchers eligible for federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.

To help ease the burden on the nation's farms, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday opened up 3.8 million acres of conservation land for ranchers to use for haying and grazing. Under that conservation program, farmers have been paid to take land out of production to ward against erosion and create wildlife habitat.

"The assistance announced today will help U.S. livestock producers dealing with climbing feed prices, critical shortages of hay and deteriorating pasturelands," Vilsack said.

Vilsack also said crop insurers have agreed to provide farmers facing cash-flow issues a penalty-free, 30-day grace period on premiums in 2012.

As of this week, nearly half of the nation's corn crop was rated poor to very poor, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. About 37 percent of the U.S. soybeans were lumped into that category, while nearly three-quarters of U.S. cattle acreage is in drought-affected areas, the survey showed.

The potential financial fallout in the nation's midsection appears to be intensifying. The latest weekly Mid-America Business Conditions Index, released Wednesday, showed that the ongoing drought and global economic turmoil is hurting business in nine Midwest and Plains states, boosting worries about the prospect of another recession, according to the report.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the index, said the drought will hurt farm income while the strengthening dollar hinders exports, meaning two of the most important positive factors in the region's economy are being undermined.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Thursday's expansion of federal relief was welcomed in rain-starved states like Illinois, where the USDA's addition of 66 counties leaves just four of the state's 102 counties — Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will, all in the Chicago area — without the natural disaster classification.

The Illinois State Water Survey said the state has averaged just 12.6 inches from January to June 2012, the sixth-driest first half of a year on record. Compounding matters is that Illinois has seen above-normal temperatures each month, with the statewide average of 52.8 degrees over the first six months logged as the warmest on record.

"While harvest has yet to begin, we already see that the drought has caused considerable crop damage," Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said. In his state, 71 percent of the corn crop and 56 percent of soybean acreage is considered poor or very poor.

In South Dakota, where roughly three-fifths of the state is in severe or extreme drought, Vilsack earlier had allowed emergency haying and grazing on about 500,000 conservation acres, but not on the roughly 445,000 acres designated as wetlands.

Vilsack's decision to open up some wetland acres in a number of states will give farmers and ranchers a chance to get good quality forage for livestock, federal lawmakers said.

"The USDA cannot make it rain, but it can apply flexibility to the conservation practices," Sen. Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat, said Wednesday. The USDA designated 39 of his state's counties disaster areas.

Penny Lane · 08-04-2012, 12:56 PM

It was very dry here in Michigan until last week when we had a couple inches of rain. My garden is a desert and the rain really came to late. But the grass is green again and there is rain predicted here for tonight and tomorrow. Hope these other states can get some soon!

Penny Lane · 08-04-2012, 12:57 PM

Unfortunately the drought will shoot prices up on everything especially food prices!

Retro4Life · 08-04-2012, 01:55 PM

Yeah, I remember 1988 being VERY dry but still nothing like this year. It just pretty much has not rained all summer.

Today there are thunderstorms forecast...I wish there were some happy medium between "drought" and "downpour that could cause flooding" but that's the world we seem to live in anymore.

Penny Lane · 08-04-2012, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

Yeah, I remember 1988 being VERY dry but still nothing like this year. It just pretty much has not rained all summer.

Today there are thunderstorms forecast...I wish there were some happy medium between "drought" and "downpour that could cause flooding" but that's the world we seem to live in anymore.

Yeah '88 was very hot and dry. I only remember that my lawn turned completely yellow and was "crispy" when we walked on it. It was like that up until August then severe storms occurred . So that was bad too but we were grateful for the rain. It was bad but yes they are saying that this year's drought is the worse in recorded history. We have a friend who lives in Danville, Ill. He says it's very bad there. I see that you are from Ill. too.

Retro4Life · 08-04-2012, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny Lane

Yeah '88 was very hot and dry. I only remember that my lawn turned completely yellow and was "crispy" when we walked on it. It was like that up until August then severe storms occurred . So that was bad too but we were grateful for the rain. It was bad but yes they are saying that this year's drought is the worse in recorded history. We have a friend who lives in Danville, Ill. He says it's very bad there. I see that you are from Ill. too.

Yep, born and bred and most likely die here, too.

We just had a pretty decent rain, but as you say, it's just never going to make up for the lost time. My grass has that crunchy feeling when you walk on it. I've heard that grass only requires one inch of rain per month to survive, so it's pretty hardy. Trees, I think, are a different story and need more.

Jericho-79 · 08-04-2012, 06:45 PM

That's what I'm most afraid of.

Family Ties Forever! · 08-04-2012, 09:05 PM

It's terrible how the drought has been this year in those states. I hope it gets better and the much needed rain reaches those areas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny Lane

Unfortunately the drought will shoot prices up on everything especially food prices!

tiredmike59 · 08-04-2012, 09:15 PM

Our local weatherman is predicting another winter like we had last time.
Anyone want to buy a snow shovel ?

Retro4Life · 08-05-2012, 02:45 AM

Actually, last winter wasn't too bad up here. The winter before that, and the one before THAT, though, fugeddaboudit...

PZelda · 08-08-2012, 11:36 AM

Haha, yeah, the winter of 2010-11 here SUCKED SO MUCH, OMG. I think that winter wound up in the top 10 snowiest winters here. All of 2011 was just one gigantic wet year - precipitation non-stop from January to like September, I think. It was so damn bad that ALL of North Dakota (never happens!) was battling flooding. Red River to the east, Souris River to the north, and Missouri River to the west. I live very near the Missouri River but luckily didn't have to fight the flood. But holy crap, the Souris River flooding... It flooded Minot, ND TWICE in TWO WEEKS (Google for articles!). The second flooding was SO ****ing bad that it shattered a 130 year old record, from 1881. In Minot, "action stage" begins at 1548', when residents would be faced with the possibility of having to deal with a flood. Flood stage begins at 1549'. Moderate flood stage is 1551' with major flood stage being 1555'. Before last summer, the last time Minot dealt with a flood was in 1969, when the river level reached 1555.4'. The 1881 record was 1558'. Last summer?? 1562 feet. I was watching the live news the day the Souris River hit 1555.35', and the mayor of Minot ordered an emergency mandatory evacuation of the low-lying areas. It hit 1562' pretty much in a matter of hours. 10,000 out of 40,000 Minot residents had to evacuate. That's ONE-FOURTHS of an entire city! And this is very near oil boom country, too (Minot is 2 hours from Williston, where the oil boom action is happening, and a ton of people have been moving to Minot since the boom started several years ago). So, really, a huge cluster****.

The actor Josh Duhamel is from Minot - born there/grew up there and graduated from HS there - so he was up here a LOT last summer to help out with relief efforts, and he taped a few Minot commercials that still air here every now and then.

We had our own share of yucky crap to deal with due to the MO River, but nothing like Minot and the Souris. Mostly we had a LOT of erosion and lost a LOT of trees because the ground was so saturated with water, it couldn't hold any more. Seriously - you could look at a tree one day and it might not be there the next, because it just gave up from all the oversaturation!

That said -- it's been pretty dry here this summer - right on par with the summer of 1988 here... Ugh!! But we did get a lot of rain over the weekend. Lol. So, I dunno now?!

08-03-2012, 08:29 PM	#1
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Half of US counties now considered disaster areas http://news.yahoo.com/half-us-counti...210826921.html By JIM SUHR \| Associated Press – Wed, Aug 1, 2012 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S. government's list of natural disaster areas as the nation's agriculture chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers grappling with extreme dryness and heat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's addition of the 218 counties means that more than half of all U.S. counties — 1,584 in 32 states — have been designated primary disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in a drought that's considered the worst in decades. [Share your story: How is the drought affecting you?] Counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in Wednesday's announcement. The USDA uses the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor to help decide which counties to deem disaster areas, which makes farmers and ranchers eligible for federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans. To help ease the burden on the nation's farms, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday opened up 3.8 million acres of conservation land for ranchers to use for haying and grazing. Under that conservation program, farmers have been paid to take land out of production to ward against erosion and create wildlife habitat. "The assistance announced today will help U.S. livestock producers dealing with climbing feed prices, critical shortages of hay and deteriorating pasturelands," Vilsack said. Vilsack also said crop insurers have agreed to provide farmers facing cash-flow issues a penalty-free, 30-day grace period on premiums in 2012. As of this week, nearly half of the nation's corn crop was rated poor to very poor, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. About 37 percent of the U.S. soybeans were lumped into that category, while nearly three-quarters of U.S. cattle acreage is in drought-affected areas, the survey showed. The potential financial fallout in the nation's midsection appears to be intensifying. The latest weekly Mid-America Business Conditions Index, released Wednesday, showed that the ongoing drought and global economic turmoil is hurting business in nine Midwest and Plains states, boosting worries about the prospect of another recession, according to the report. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the index, said the drought will hurt farm income while the strengthening dollar hinders exports, meaning two of the most important positive factors in the region's economy are being undermined. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Thursday's expansion of federal relief was welcomed in rain-starved states like Illinois, where the USDA's addition of 66 counties leaves just four of the state's 102 counties — Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will, all in the Chicago area — without the natural disaster classification. The Illinois State Water Survey said the state has averaged just 12.6 inches from January to June 2012, the sixth-driest first half of a year on record. Compounding matters is that Illinois has seen above-normal temperatures each month, with the statewide average of 52.8 degrees over the first six months logged as the warmest on record. "While harvest has yet to begin, we already see that the drought has caused considerable crop damage," Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said. In his state, 71 percent of the corn crop and 56 percent of soybean acreage is considered poor or very poor. In South Dakota, where roughly three-fifths of the state is in severe or extreme drought, Vilsack earlier had allowed emergency haying and grazing on about 500,000 conservation acres, but not on the roughly 445,000 acres designated as wetlands. Vilsack's decision to open up some wetland acres in a number of states will give farmers and ranchers a chance to get good quality forage for livestock, federal lawmakers said. "The USDA cannot make it rain, but it can apply flexibility to the conservation practices," Sen. Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat, said Wednesday. The USDA designated 39 of his state's counties disaster areas.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

08-04-2012, 12:56 PM	#2
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,260	It was very dry here in Michigan until last week when we had a couple inches of rain. My garden is a desert and the rain really came to late. But the grass is green again and there is rain predicted here for tonight and tomorrow. Hope these other states can get some soon!
	__________________ Vulgarity is no substitute for wit- Lady Violet Crawley

08-04-2012, 06:45 PM	#7
Jericho-79 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 17, 2012 Location: New York City Posts: 133	That's what I'm most afraid of.
	__________________ My shrink once told me: "Maybe life isn't for everyone."

08-08-2012, 11:36 AM	#11
PZelda Two Valeries! <3 Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 15, 2002 Location: I'm STILL missing NYC. :( Posts: 78,223	Haha, yeah, the winter of 2010-11 here SUCKED SO MUCH, OMG. I think that winter wound up in the top 10 snowiest winters here. All of 2011 was just one gigantic wet year - precipitation non-stop from January to like September, I think. It was so damn bad that ALL of North Dakota (never happens!) was battling flooding. Red River to the east, Souris River to the north, and Missouri River to the west. I live very near the Missouri River but luckily didn't have to fight the flood. But holy crap, the Souris River flooding... It flooded Minot, ND TWICE in TWO WEEKS (Google for articles!). The second flooding was SO **ing bad that it shattered a 130 year old record, from 1881. In Minot, "action stage" begins at 1548', when residents would be faced with the possibility of having to deal with a flood. Flood stage begins at 1549'. Moderate flood stage is 1551' with major flood stage being 1555'. Before last summer, the last time Minot dealt with a flood was in 1969, when the river level reached 1555.4'. The 1881 record was 1558'. Last summer?? 1562 feet. I was watching the live news the day the Souris River hit 1555.35', and the mayor of Minot ordered an emergency mandatory evacuation of the low-lying areas. It hit 1562' pretty much in a matter of hours. 10,000 out of 40,000 Minot residents had to evacuate. That's ONE-FOURTHS of an entire city! And this is very near oil boom country, too (Minot is 2 hours from Williston, where the oil boom action is happening, and a ton of people have been moving to Minot since the boom started several years ago). So, really, a huge cluster**. The actor Josh Duhamel is from Minot - born there/grew up there and graduated from HS there - so he was up here a LOT last summer to help out with relief efforts, and he taped a few Minot commercials that still air here every now and then. We had our own share of yucky crap to deal with due to the MO River, but nothing like Minot and the Souris. Mostly we had a LOT of erosion and lost a LOT of trees because the ground was so saturated with water, it couldn't hold any more. Seriously - you could look at a tree one day and it might not be there the next, because it just gave up from all the oversaturation! That said -- it's been pretty dry here this summer - right on par with the summer of 1988 here... Ugh!! But we did get a lot of rain over the weekend. Lol. So, I dunno now?!
	__________________ Cheers behind the couch!

08-04-2012, 12:57 PM	#3
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,260	Unfortunately the drought will shoot prices up on everything especially food prices!

08-04-2012, 01:55 PM	#4
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Yeah, I remember 1988 being VERY dry but still nothing like this year. It just pretty much has not rained all summer. Today there are thunderstorms forecast...I wish there were some happy medium between "drought" and "downpour that could cause flooding" but that's the world we seem to live in anymore.

08-04-2012, 09:15 PM	#9
tiredmike59 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 05, 2010 Location: OUTLAW STATE {MO} Posts: 1,868	Our local weatherman is predicting another winter like we had last time. Anyone want to buy a snow shovel ?

08-05-2012, 02:45 AM	#10
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Actually, last winter wasn't too bad up here. The winter before that, and the one before THAT, though, fugeddaboudit...