June 2008

Breaking News

NOAA Funds “Drought-Ready Communities” Proposal

The National Drought Mitigation Center, the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, and the Illinois State Water Survey and State Climatologist’s Office are ready to begin work on a Drought Ready Communities program this summer, thanks to sponsorship from the Sectoral Applications Research Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Existing drought-planning methodologies are focused on state, national, and tribal levels of government. Drought Ready Communities will help cities and towns become more resilient to drought by identifying necessary governance structures, drought alert trigger systems, an understanding of water as a limited renewable resource, and an in-depth knowledge of how drought affects them.

Drought Ready Communities will build on existing efforts such as the National Weather Service’s Storm-Ready Communities, the Oklahoma Climatological Survey’s statewide public safety outreach, and drought planning methodologies developed by the NDMC and others.

Water Banking In the Spotlight

The “Water Banking” game devised by the National Drought Mitigation Center was the focus of an article in the Grand Island (NE) Independent after the Children’s Groundwater Festival.
http://www.theindependent.com/news/x194395957/Festival-teaches-students-about-groundwater-use-depletion