The Drought of 2012
The Drought of 2012 was the worst drought in more than half a century in the United States. It originated with a record shattering heat wave that swept across the US. The drought included most parts of the US, parts of Mexico, and central and Eastern Canada. At it’s all time peak in July 2012, it covered 81% of the mainland of the United States. Overall, the drought was estimated to cost around $33.3 billion in damages with most of it being to farmers and roughly 123 deaths through the span of the drought. In the article on this by Science Direct, it states that this drought was the worst in terms of moderate to extreme drought coverage since the 1950’s. In the article on this by The Atlantic on August 28, 2012 it displays plenty of pictures of what the drought has caused in the most severe areas. One of the images shows a whole massive field of dead corn that couldn’t get enough water to survive. Another image from the same article shows parts of the Mississippi River uncovered that have not been uncovered since the 1950’s. Finally, there is an image of grass being painted in the state of New Jersey to restore it to its normally green color despite it being brown. This was seen as just a normal drought during the time, but after all the data was collected, it turned out to be one of the worst in US history.
There are many factors that can contribute to the creation of a drought. The most obvious one is simple water waste, In some areas with smaller amounts of water available large amounts of waste by humans can easily cause a drought. Another factor that can create droughts is climate change. Shifts in global temperature can make areas that are naturally prone to climate change even worse, with an increase in temperature comes a spread in desert and dry lands. A third and final effect that can cause climate change is the destruction of ecosystems by humans. Destroying local environments can have disastrous effects on usable water in the area and can ultimately lead to droughts.
Many parts of the United States have been hit with a drought at one time or another. The Official Website of the Department of Homeland Security offer a few tips in case of a drought. The best way to mitigate the damage of a drought is to be prepared for it. Local governments should issue warnings about water use if they know a drought may be coming. Warning citizens to not wash their cars, not flush their toilets unless they have to and not to take long showers, all of these things will go a long way in conserving water supply. Another useful strategy for preventing and avoiding droughts is by planting plants in your local community that only require a minimal amount of watering, this would prevent excess water being used by green life. A final strategy for preventing droughts is by installing water saving equipment in homes, like swimming pools, washers, and dishwashers. Even fixing leaking pipes could help to prevent water waste. The largest barrier for these strategies is that it can be hard or almost impossible to enforce these strategies, it’s up to the citizens to decide if they want to try and save water to prevent waste.