Drought-weary Georgia Wants Help From Feds

61% of lower 48 suffering drought-like conditions

(NEWSER) - Last year, dry conditions cost Southern farmers some $10 billion, and once again, things are looking bleak. Some 61% of the lower 48 states is experiencing drought or "abnormally dry" weather—the biggest proportion of the country since September 2007, USA Today reports. Just two states have completely escaped such conditions: Ohio and Alaska, federal monitors say. The trouble comes after a mild, mainly dry winter. More»

(AP) - Washed-out roads and flooded interstate highways around Atlanta added to the misery today after days of torrential rain in the Southeast that claimed at least eight lives, including a 15-year-old boy whose body was found in the Chattooga River. Authorities urged people who don't need to drive to stay home, a day after Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in 17 counties. More»

Citizens counting on water trucks during shutoff

(NEWSER) - A record drought forced officials to turn off the major water pipeline providing fresh water to Mexico City, reports the BBC. The shutoff was scheduled to last 36 hours and affects 5 million residents. Emergency water trucks were supplying hard-hit citizens, but Easter weekend was chosen when many people leave the city. Officials hope to fix leaks in the pipeline to save as much water as possible before service is restored. Reservoirs are less than half full this year. More»

With snowpack well below normal, state likely to face water rationing, higher food prices

(NEWSER) - With winter precipitation lagging well below normal, California officials say residents should prepare for the state’s worst drought on record, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada—the state’s main water supply—is at just 61% of normal after an unusually sunny and dry January. “We’re definitely in really bad shape,” says a state meteorologist. “We just don’t have enough water.” More»

Cars, boats, and building scraps found under evaporating Lake Lenier

(NEWSER) - The brutal drought hitting Georgia is drying up an artificial lake and exposing the long-dead town that lies beneath—along with mountains of trash. "It's horrendous, it's unbelievable," said one local resident. Lake Lanier's receding shores have exposed debris of all shapes and sizes, including an old dirt racing track, foundations of buildings, sunken cars and boats, even a stretch of Georgia Highway 53. More»