Drought Destroys or Damages Crops in Virginias

Drought disaster declared for five counties in the Virginias

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated five counties in the two Virginias  as crop disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by drought that occurred from June 1, 2014 through Oct. 31, 2014.

Drought disaster designations

• Virginia: Highland, Augusta and Bath counties.
• West Virginia: Pendleton and Pocahontas counties.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 736 countiesⁱⁱⁱ across 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

All of the 2015 disaster designations so far are due to drought.

Crop Disasters 2014

In 2014, USDA declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states. Most of the designations were due to drought.

Those states were:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

Notes:
i. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

ii. The counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated as crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

iv. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

v. The disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on February 11, 2015.

Related Links

• Drought Disaster Declared in 12 States February 6, 2015
• Drought Disaster Declared for VA, WV Counties January 30, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared for 220 Counties in 3 States January 8, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in 3 States December 25, 2014
• Federal Disasters
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Drought and Deluge Plague Southern Africa

Tropical Storm FUNDI brings torrential rains to Madagascar, as below average rains deepen rainfall deficits in Angola and Namibia, said NOAA.

Storms, floods kill at least 158 in Mozambique

At least 158 people have been killed as floods plagues central and northern Mozambique, said the state news agency AIM.

More than 177,000 people were affected, many of them displaced as severe weather destroys 654 schools, 7 health centers and more than 100 places of worship, reported AIM.

Meantime, a cholera outbreak in Nampula, Niassa and Tete provinces have has killed at least 19 people, from a total of 1,671 cases, said the Deputy Health Minister

“Since mid-December, consistent and significantly heavy rainfall has been received over southeastern Africa. In parts of southern Malawi, as well as, central and northern Mozambique, these rains have resulted in widespread flooding, extensive damage to crops, livestock and infrastructure, thousands of displaced people, and fatalities. The excess moisture also has elevated the risk for downstream river inundation along the Shire, Licungo, Zambezi, Mazoe, Pungue, and Save Rivers in the region. Above-average rain forecast for the next week will keep flooding risks elevated,” said NOAA