Fighting Drought (and Other Challenges) with the Best Tool of Our Age: Knowledge
Chris Angelo, CEO Stay Green Inc.
In our information age, knowledge about a harmful or inconvenient situation can turn into a blessing. Consider the early diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, a tsunami warning, or a material shortage announced by a trusted supplier. Knowing about an imminent or upcoming danger or challenge can help you plan ahead, get out of harm's way, or turn to experts and loved ones for much-needed care and support.
In California, we are in the midst of a drought. We saw it coming and had plenty of notice. We hoped for an adequate supply of rain last winter, but when very little of it came, we knew that desperate times would eventually call for desperate measures.
Fortunately, we have a knowledge tool-paid for by our federal tax dollars-to help us weather the current situation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has an easy-to-remember website www.drought. gov, the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), where anyone anywhere in the U.S. (and the world, for that matter) can look up drought conditions in their local area. For Orange County, California, the information-put together by NOAA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-can be gleaned through a simple by-location search. The data on this site is sobering:
► 3,012,232 people in Orange County {100% of the population} are affected by the current drought that;
► years (January-April 2022), with precipitation down 7.58 inches from normal; and
Marks the fourth driest year to date over the past 128 Puts the entire county in "Severe Drought" conditions,
► where grazing land is inadequate; the fire season is longer, with high-burn intensity and dry fuels; trees are stressed; and wildlife diseases increase.
14 July | August 2022
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