Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573) 751-0290
Gov. Blunt Declares Drought Alert In 23 Counties
Also activates Missouri’s Drought Assessment Committee
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt today declared a drought alert for 23 counties in southeast, south-central and northeast Missouri, and has directed the Department of Natural Resources to activate Missouri’s Drought Assessment Committee.
"The Drought Assessment Committee is critical to Missouri citizens who are faced with the ruinous effects of drought conditions," Gov. Blunt said. "It was designed because of the very serious drought-related impacts the State of Missouri experienced during the early 1990s. The committee provides a means for state and federal agencies to work together for the benefit of Missouri’s drought-stricken areas."
Counties included in the drought alert include Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Pemiscot, Perry, Pike, Ralls, Reynolds, Ripley, Ste. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard and Wayne. Prolonged shortage of precipitation, low stream levels, low soil moisture conditions and a low Palmer Drought Index have persisted for several months in the affected areas, indicating a moderate drought level throughout.
While some dry areas in the state received more than an inch of rain over the holiday weekend, many other areas of drought had far less rainfall. These rains were not sufficient to overcome the longer-term shortage of rainfall that the drought areas have experienced since February. "Farmers are spending significant amounts to irrigate their fields, and pasture conditions continue to deteriorate," Gov. Blunt said. "Water supplies in isolated areas are beginning to strain under increased summer use. I am therefore asking the Department of Natural Resources to call together all those agencies that can offer help to the affected farmers and communities."
The Missouri Drought Assessment Committee will begin immediate assessments of the affected areas under the Missouri Drought Response Plan. The plan defines four levels of increasing concern based on the severity of the lack of moisture and the corresponding impacts. A drought alert, the second of these four levels, is declared when area rainfall is below normal for several months, plants begin to show stress, stream levels drop and pond levels begin to fall noticeably.
The Missouri Drought Assessment Committee is responsible for assessing drought conditions across the state and recommending actions to ease the drought's adverse effects. Agencies represented on the committee include the state departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Public Safety, Health and Senior Services, Conservation and Economic Development; the U.S. departments of Commerce, Agriculture and Interior; the U.S. Army; the University of Missouri-Columbia; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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