Drought Emergency Renewed for Kansas Counties

Drought Order places 91 Kansas counties in warning or watch status

“Despite recent rains, the overall dry conditions that have persisted for more than a year now require us to continue to monitor the situation,” said Kansas Gov. “Meeting the needs of crops is a concern as moisture demands increase with the growing season.”

Effective immediately, the renewed drought emergency places 16 counties in a warning status and 75 in watch status.

Drought warning has been issued for Barber, Clark, Comanche, Finney, Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kearny, Kiowa, Meade, Morton, Pratt, Seward, Stafford, Stanton and Stevens counties.

“… the overall total moisture for the past year is below normal, and temperatures are projected to be above normal this year again,” said director of the Kansas Water Office. “It is important we monitor conditions for the state as they could deteriorate quickly with no reserves.”

U.S. Drought Monitor

As of May 1, 2012 about 60 percent of Contiguous U.S. was in D0 (Abnormally Dry) to D4 (Exceptional Drought) conditions.

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• Afghanistan.  Flash flooding has left at least 125 people dead or missing and washed away a dozen homes  in the northern Afghan province of Saripul, reports said.

• Kyrgyzstan. Flash floods and mudslides caused by melting snow and torrential rains across Kyrgyzstan have destroyed or damaged many   properties, businesses and infrastructure and ruined much of the nations food stocks.
  • The latest disaster followed the country’s harshest winter in memory, which left at least 25,000 farm animals frozen or starved to death.
  • Heavy snowfall and torrential rains exceeded the country’s annual average by up to 300 percent.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar