Finally, after 3 years of the driest conditions in the state’s history, California Governor Jerry Brown has declared an emergency.
On Friday, the governor took the formal step of officially declaring this an emergency situation.
“Today I’m declaring a drought emergency in the state of California, because we’re facing perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since records began being kept about 100 years ago.”
The official status as an emergency will allow Brown to hire more seasonal firefighters, raise public awareness, and get some relief from federal officials.
Brown’s announcement follows closely after the USDA designated parts of California as primary natural disaster areas due to drought.
California is entering one of the driest winters on record after two dry years have already parched the state, depleted reservoirs and left streams and rivers running low. American River flows are at their lowest level in two decades, while Folsom Lake has receded so dramatically a Gold Rush-era mining town, long submerged, has been exposed. (source)
One reason that this should be alarming to all Americans is the fact that a huge percentage of our fruit, nuts, and vegetables come from California. The following information was sourced from the USDA’s Agricultural Census in 2007. Look for the prices on these items to skyrocket should the drought continue:
Crop: Percent Grown in California in 2007
Pomegranates: 100%
Artichokes: 99%
Kiwi: 97%
Olives: 96%
Figs: 96%
Pluots: 95%
Plums and Prunes: 94%
Brussel Sprouts: 93%
Avocados: 90%
Nectarines: 89%
Garlic: 85%
Celery: 83%
Grapes: 83%
Dates: 82%
Apricots: 82%
Cauliflower: 82%
Broccoli: 81%
Lemons: 79%
Persimmons: 77%
Honeydew: 77%
Tomatoes: 76%
Lettuce: 73%
Nuts: 65%
Carrots: 62%
Strawberries: 59%
Spinach: 59%
Tangerines: 58%
Chinese Cabbage: 49%
Asparagus: 47%
Cantaloupes: 46%
Peaches: 44%
Limes: 42%
Non-Valencia Oranges: 37%(source)
If you aren’t producing a high percentage of your own food already, now is the time to start if you hope to be able to afford fruits and vegetables in the very near future. If you think prices are now, well, “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
Prices at the checkout stand aren’t the only concern, however. In true Agenda 21 all-for-your-own-good fashion, water may start to be mandatorily rationed.
So far, Brown has asked all California residents to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 20%. However, these conservation efforts may not remain voluntary – the reductions could soon become mandatory.
“As we go down the road – you know, January, February, March – we will keep our eye on the ball and intensify, even to the point of mandatory conservation. But we’re not going to do that quite yet.”
If you aren’t already storing water, it is absolutely your top preparedness priority at this time. Forget, for now, about the beans and rice – how are you going to cook them without any water?
Two years ago, Michael Snyder wrote about the endless drought of 2012, calling it the largest natural disaster in American history. He predicted a water shortage that will change the lives of every person on the planet, and he was right – we are living his prediction right now.
Not only is rainfall in short supply, but the water we do have is tainted by careless industrial spills, like the one in West Virginia that has affected hundreds of thousands of people and seeped into water two states over. Within a day of the spill, grocery stores were out of water and residents who were caught unprepared had to rely on FEMA to come and save them. In South Carolina, a radioactive spill that you won’t read about in the mainstream occurred a few days ago. That plume is creeping via groundwater into the Savannah River, making toxic yet another of our limited resources.
From a survival aspect, you absolutely must focus on a long-term source of water. All of your best laid plans will be for naught if you don’t have water rights on your property, a collection system for rainfall, and second and third sources to rely on, as well as reliable purification systems. Safe municipal water (although with the inclusion of all the toxic additives ‘safe’ is debatable) will soon be a thing of the past.
In some states rainwater collection is already illegal. With the long-term drought conditions, you can expect that encroachment to spread. When municipal water begins to be rationed, it’s going to be too late to prepare.
But our fine governor still wants to frack CA to death!
Now would be a good time to look for natural springs we can go to to get fresh water. Also getting a water filter so you can purify water wherever you can get it when there is a shortage.
I’ve been trending this weather for the last three years. not only are we in the lowest rain fall, but some of the most extreme temps at the WRONG time of year. In 2012 in May, I had record heat in Valley Center SD. I was charting up over 109F one day 112 the next. I was on an organic avocado farm.
The farmer pumped 1/2 of his water for 17 acres from his own 1300 foot well. He uses the municipal water as a supplement because local well water is too high in salinity for avocados.( fantastic for blueberries) So he was forced to use the citys water. And at over 1200$ an acre inch, he decided to cut trees instead of water.
He cut 15 acres of 40 yr old growth to start a new more water friendly system for his avocados. He changed it from 700 40 yr old Oak sized trees to 1300 8 foot tall trees and has doubled his production, and cut his water.
its about consumers and farmers coming together and understanding the demands it requires to feed a nation.
Instead of teaching Photoshop in high-school, how about garden shop?
This is more than ‘global warming’, ( which happens naturally every 300-600 yrs, please see the medieval dark ages) this is a battle we’ve been dealing with for nearly 110 yrs. LA is a water hog.
In San Diego, we just had water rates go up for an experimental ‘filtration’ system in our Alvarado water estuary.
Still taste like fluoride to me.
i live in Valley Center and the other morning at 5;30 am it was 68 degrees on 1-17-14…..I have also noticed alot of chemtrail spraying from the jets…i have been here since 1974 and this is very bizarre weather i think we are in for some very unpleasant times.
In my area, Folsom Lake is almost dry. We are in such water woes because for 100 years we have left management of our water in the hands of political elites. I can remember the years when the rain just kept coming, and so the “smart guys” dumped water into the rivers to keep pressure off of Folsom Dam. Bet we wish we had that “un-needed” water now! As a group, we need to demand better management of water; that includes decriminalizing rainwater harvesting.
We live in Texas which has been under drought conditions for a while now. We are fortunate that we live out in “The County” and not in town.
Our property has some river front and two years ago, the river dried up. It was possible to walk all the way to town on the dry river bed.
Our well went dry. It was a fairly shallow well – about 23 feet – because it is close to the river. We dug another well about twice as deep and 6 weeks later it went dry.
So, we installed a water tank system. Two large black holding tanks which we filled with trucked in water. This supplies our household water and we rationed that.
In town mandatory water conservation was put into place. The local policemen rode around on bicycles to enforce it. A friend of ours happens to have a very deep well on her property in town. It is not good drinking water, but it is useable for watering outside gardens etc. She used it for that purpose. When she wasn’t home, a policeman went onto her property and cut the water off. It burned up her well pump.
We have a grove of pecan trees on our property some of which are over 300 years old. We lost 3 to the drought and my husband trucked water from this friends well in town to keep the rest watered. He did this every day!
He said if he had an Indian name it would be “He Who Hauls Water”
Things are a bit better here now, but the next step to our property will hopefully be some kind of rainwater collection system. The only problem – it has to actually rain for it to be of any use.
Welcome to the world of climate change. I feel more secure living in a Great Lake State ( says the girl sitting in -23 degree weather) but even our underground water sources are drying up. Of course all the big water corporations are here. They steal are water and sell it off to the highest bidder in a plastic bottle. Unfortunately as we hav recently learned with propane the United States is not always the highest bidder.
We grow 3/4 million organic GAP certified chickens a year. We have about 30 acres of almonds. We were suppose to plant another 20 acres this year but didn’t due to the water issue. My husbands parents came to CA 63 years ago to farm. My husband is a 6th generation farmer. People do not understand “voluntary” and will not do anything until it hits their pocketbook. We are looking at selling the farm. The issues are many. Ca is not business friendly, including farm friendly. Learn to grow your own, barter, can, get ready, do not depend on the government. Real life is happening!
Great Post! I am preparing a post on why folks need to start gardening THIS YEAR.