The Remnant Online
News => "Natural" Disasters => Topic started by: Richard Myers on July 14, 2012, 04:37:00 PM
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We know that there is going to be famine in the land. When it hits the U.S. then the world will suffer greatly. Few understand how much God has blessed America with a fertile land and abundant food. This will change. Has this famine begun? Jesus is coming soon, so we expect it may have started.
"The worst drought in a quarter century tightened its grip on the Midwestern United States over the past week as sweltering temperatures and scant rainfall punished corn and soybean crops across the region, a report from climate experts said Thursday."
"Grains rose for a fourth straight week in a drought-fueled rally, reviving food inflation worries and rekindling memories of the 2008 food crisis which stirred unrest in some import-dependent nations. Front-month soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade surged to a record-high on Monday and spot corn threatened to surpass its all-time price high on Friday before drifting lower. Both contracts expired on Friday."
If the the lack of rain continues, then grain supplies will diminish further and food prices will continue up. Already, wheat prices are up because of the rise in corn prices.
abibleanswer.org (http://abibleanswer.org/)
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Yes, it appears that the drought is here to stay. I can't help but wonder if we are going to see a drought similar to what happened at the time of Ahab and Elijah. Three years of eccentially no rain in the midwest would probably fold up the US economy, an economy that is only temporailly proped up anyway. If the trend soes not change by next spring I will bypass the garden. A person can water to carry over a garden during a temporary dry spell but to completely sustain a crop the entire season when there are long stretches of 100 degree weather is out of the question. The gov't has provided crop insurance but since it is of a surety that it has not sert aside funds to pay off something like a drought this will break the bank and it is doubtful that the farmers could be paid for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of acres of crop loss.
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If the trend soes not change by next spring I will bypass the garden. A person can water to carry over a garden during a temporary dry spell but ...
Our dry season lasts from May through September or longer and the temps are usually in the 100+ degrees for several weeks since we live in the desert of the High Sierra Mountains. Watering a garden is feasible, watering fields and fields probably not. When our garden was planted full-size (over 10,000 sq. ft.) it took 3 hours to water (hose & bubbler attachement) & weed it every morning but Sabbath. Last year I learned that tomatoes have a difficult time keeping blossoms in dry heat so the only change I would make is to not plan on having a lot of tomatoes to the exclusion of other crops. Sometimes failure is not an option and as long as the well is not dry you can water, as long as there's not another dust bowl like the 1930's.
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There will be famine in America. Crops will fail. People will go hungry. God will allow America and the world to reap what has been sown. Not sure how those in areas that depend upon rain will do. God can cause it to rain on one piece of land and not on another. We know we are to be in the country growing our own food. Wisdom would dictate that we do the best we can to provide for what is coming. If possible, it would be good to have access to well water or a spring that runs good. I know that all is dependent upon the rain, but there are methods that will allow one to irrigate when it does not rain. That is the point I am trying to make. A windmill or solar to pump water is a necessity from what I can see. We are moving into a period of time when these things are going to be needed.
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It does appear we are entering upon a new era.
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We must be drawing ever closer to the Lord now so when extreme hardships follow in the time of trouble we'll be able to put total trust and faith in Jesus no matter what the world does to us.
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That is right. God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. We do our part and He will do His part. That does not mean there won't be tough situations or worse, but we are to trust in God as well as do the best we can with what we have.
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Amen.
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That's exactly right, Vicki. We can only do what we can do, and after we have done that, we can rest in Jesus knowing He will do what we can't do.
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The Midwest and perhaps other areas of the US is experiencing a record heat wave and drought. I talked with two NRCS employees this week who said that there will not only be millions but problably more like billions given for farm drought relief. This is on top of the payments already owed by the gov't for crop insurance payments as a result of the drought. The NRCS/USDA expects the drought to continue perhaps through next year and farmers are worried it may even run longer. The last few years the US gov't subsidized farmers and made many big farmers rich as crop prices were high, there was excellant yields in some states, and subsidy payments were handed out. Just as the gov't thought to drop off the subsidy program the drought hit. Since many farmers made big money in the last few years and since it was a wet spring last year they tiled much ground that had never before been tiled. Now they wished they had back every drop they tiled out not to mention all the cost of tile and labor. The wetlands are very important to ecology of the land and even impacts rainfall. Farmers have contributed to the turning the midwest inot a desert but tiling and trying to farm every square foot of soil. In areas of the Midwest where there has never before been water restrictions people in town are advised to take quick showers and by law they can only water lawns and wash cars every other day.
This will affect grain prices, fuel prices, food prices and certainly meat prices. Farmers are wanting to sell their corn for silage but there are not enough bovine in all the country to feed that much silage to and without corn in the ear the silage will be of a lesser quality. In many areas the fields will be disked under.
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Why will it effect fuel prices?
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On the news this morning it was said that meat prices will decrease because so many animals are being sent to market. The ranchers cannot feed them.
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Here's a gov drought site. (http://www.drought.gov/portal/server.pt/community/drought_gov/202) Interesting maps.
I thought a time of great peace and prosperity is coming soon according to the pipe dreamers or wishful thinkers?
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Why will it effect fuel prices?
Corn is a major feedstock in the production of ethanol, which often constitutes 10-15% of regular unleaded fuel at the pump...
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That is true and something I sometimes forget about. Thanks, Geodad!
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It is not difficult to see how a famine in the land could/will come. It is very strange to see wave after wave of fronts pass through that wold normally bring rain. They either break up in advance or pass over without a drop. It is typical for severve drought to be the result of apostasy. This is looking like it will be an Elijah type drought.
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Thanks, Geodad. I had forgotten that it is still in production. It has not worked out and from what I understand, it was being reduced greatly. The cost of producing it was high. With the great reduction in demand, it was not working out. Maybe the crop failures will produce more material for ethanol?
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Thanks, Geodad. I had forgotten that it is still in production. It has not worked out and from what I understand, it was being reduced greatly. The cost of producing it was high. With the great reduction in demand, it was not working out. Maybe the crop failures will produce more material for ethanol?
I don't know about the "being reduced greatly" part... It seems I have to go out my way to find a pump without ethanol here in the southeast. They do exist, but cost about 10% more than the pumps with ethanol added...You are right that it hasn't really worked out. I try to avoid it as much as I can - many small engines suffer cumulative damage to their seals and fuel lines from using it...the lawnmower dealer told me to try to avoid it so I am....
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What I have seen is that ethanol is still going strong in the corn belt. However, people who are comparing gas mileage are saying that the ethanol while it is cheaper is not as good in terms of moving your vehicle down the road as is gasoline. It is cheaper but it decreases gas mileage compared with good old 87 regular. Incidently, I have read that we should avoid the pumps where a fuel truck is unloading. When this is happening this stirs up any sediment and unwanted elements in the service station tanks. You are apt to get far dirtier fuel when this happens. I have also heard by family that has managed convenience stores that Caseys is an inferior fuel lacking additives that are important. I don't know if this is still the case 10 years later. A motor oil that is highly promoted but a problem oil is Penzoil. I have not used that oil for many years. Apparrently most of the rest of the motor oils are relatively similar in quality. I have used Havoline oil in 5 quart containers. It is one of if not the cheapest oil to purchase. The last vehicle I owned had 325,000 miles on the same engine and it was still doing well using this oil.
We just purhased a new automobile and it came filled with synthetic oil. They reccomend changing oil every 10,000 miles. I'm a little slow to want go that high between oil changes.
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In the past I had sometimes wondered with all of this farm land in the US how there would be famine. I suppose I had missed thre obvious because the obvious has never been before. We have never had a drought of any real magnitude in the US in terms of large areas. I had always supposed it would be an economic failure that would bring famine. While that may be... a drought is really a clear decisive way for famine to happen. As long as there is alot of man power, rain, and soil there can be plenty of food to sustain the US. Even if we all had to go back to just hoes and rakes we could grow alot of food. However we cannot produce rain and with a lack of it all other measures to grow a significant amount of food are eccentially gone.
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http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
This is a USDA drought map. Last week the condition of 30% of the nation's corn crop was poor to very poor. This week 38% of the corn crop is poor to very poor. The soybean situation is not much better. The drought is expected to only intensify. This will be catestrophic. Of course wheat and other crops are affected just the same. I live in an area that is rated moderate drought and it has not rained in any significant way for months and we have had but one good rain shower this year. I cannot imagine the areas that are severve and extreme. Hundreds and thousands if not millions of acres of crops will be disked under as a total loss. This will absolutely shake the country and the NSL will follow.
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You will notice that there is no significant amount of farmland that is not considerably affected. The only non drought areas are around the fringe of the nation.
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You will notice that there is no significant amount of farmland that is not considerably affected. The only non drought areas are around the fringe of the nation.
Could it be that something like this could provoke a campaign among the Christians in America for the government to do something in an official way that would honor Gpd or appease His wrath?
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You will notice that there is no significant amount of farmland that is not considerably affected. The only non drought areas are around the fringe of the nation.
Could it be that something like this could provoke a campaign among the Christians in America for the government to do something in an official way that would honor Gpd or appease His wrath?
It is written !
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I thought some might find these comparisons of years of drought interesting. Source (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/07/20/us/drought-footprint.html)
And I wonder what some would think if we were to see dust storms as far east as Pennsylvania and so bad that snow plow trucks had to be called to clear the roads? Source (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-15/news/ct-talk-1934-dust-storm-0715-20120715_1_dust-storm-drought-elgin-residents)
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I thought some might find these comparisons of years of drought interesting. Source (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/07/20/us/drought-footprint.html)
And I wonder what some would think if we were to see dust storms as far east as Pennsylvania and so bad that snow plow trucks had to be called to clear the roads? Source (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-15/news/ct-talk-1934-dust-storm-0715-20120715_1_dust-storm-drought-elgin-residents)
Those are very interesting charts. I visited with an elderly SDA yesterday who shared the same except without the charts. It appears that maybe only 1934 and perhaps 36 were worse. We may not have to wonder what some think about dust storms such as happened back then.
Some other interesting comparisons to consider may be the populaton to feed in this country now compared to 80 years ago, the morality of the people then and now, the state of the world economy, the military potential around the world then and now, and the fragile state of country today as a result of dependance on computers.
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Very interesting comparison map. I've seen photos of the dust bowl in the 1930's where the settled dust was six feet high, burying cars, farm machinery, houses. The fine dust like sandpaper wore out machines.
Today, read they are having to dredge large rivers the to allow ships to pass.
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This article (http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-28/news/31106855_1_water-problems-ogallala-aquifer-drought-conditions) was written back in February of this year. Certainly looks like if these conditions continue, they will be calling for God to restore His blessings on the land.
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It will be interesting to see if the changes in farming practices which were instituted after the Dust Bowl era, will prevent another dust bowl. It certainly won't prevent crop failure, but it might keep us from losing so much topsoil.
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What were the changes?
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The gov't is already looking at emphasis on ponds and reserviors as water becomes a precious commodity.
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Areas that depended upon rain for their crops will now turn to well and surface water. The water table will drop rapidly and industry and homes will be affected greatly. It is much more expensive to irrigate than to depend upon rain. Food prices will skyrocket. Futures must be way up now.
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What were the changes?
Crop rotation was one thing. I think planting cover crops was another. Leaving the stalks from the previous year's crop in the ground rather than plowing it under was another. They also changed the way they plowed so that less dirt was left exposed. There are probably other things they did, as well.
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Thank you.
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There are limitations as to what can be done. For instance, there is really nothing that can be done where there have been soybeans. The ground is left without cover and it is soft and ready to blow. Where corn has been cut for silage there is little cover to stop blowing dirt. Where there has been severe drought there may not be much stalk as cover.
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I visited with the rural water people moments ago when they came out to fix something. They said that there is no question about it that they are mining the water out of the deep aquifers but they are not telling the public. There's going to me a major problem in terms of ground water. Since it takes at least a year or two for the rain water to reach the aquifer we are not experiencing the effect yet of the drought in terms of the deep ground water.. Between the drought and the mining of ground water we are headed for trouble.
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My brother-in-law and nephew have planted soybeans the second time in the field beside our yard. If we do not get a soaking rain within a week or less, this planting will be gone too. Storms are forecast for tomorrow. We sure do not need storms, but we do pray there will be rain. The neighbor is going to have to sell his cattle, his spring that feeds our little creek is almost dry. Our well is holding...thank God! I am claiming His promises.
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I will pray you get rain for the fields according to God's will. God knows our every need. We wish for our prayers to be answered to meet our obvious needs. God sometimes sees a deeper need within our character or has different plans. Whatever the outcome, I pray your family will be drawn closer to Him through the experience.
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Famine will come. But, here is an encouraging report that lift our spirits:
Three years ago we returned to America. Others were sent to Australia to take our places. The work has continued to grow; prosperity has attended every effort. I wish you could read the letters that come to us. Doubtless you have heard of the dreadful drought that has caused famine in so many places in Australia during the past two years. Hundreds of thousands of sheep and cattle and horses have perished. In all the colonies, and especially in Queensland, the suffering and the financial loss have been great.
But the spot that was chosen for our training school, has had sufficient rainfall for good pasture land and bountiful crops; in fact, in legislative assemblies and in the newspapers of the great cities it has been specified as "the only green spot in all New South Wales."
Is not this remarkable? Has not the Lord blessed? From one of the reports received, we learn that last year seven thousand pounds of honey of the best quality has been made on the school estate. Large quantities of vegetables have been raised, and the sale of the surplus has been a source of considerable revenue to the school. All this is very encouraging to us; for we took the wild land, and helped to bring it to its present fruitful state. To the Lord we ascribe all the praise. 1SM 102 We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us.
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I talked to a farmer at the Republican booth at the fair early this week. He said that the corn has been so modified that it can do reasonably well off of only an inch of rain each summer. He said that the plant will sacrifice all for the sake of the ear. Corn grown 50 years ago would have died and dried up long ago.
This reminds me of what I have heard about a person dying of thirst. The muscles in the body will contact and cramp to squeeze ever bit of water out so as to sustain the vital organs and preserve life. This is very painful and a natural way the body tries to survive.
Wouldn't it be nice if the church body was willing to so sacrifice to that extent in order to keep the body alive ?
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Yes, in the footsteps of our Saviour.
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With extreme heat covering a large portion of America, many roads and bridges are buckling. Search "roads buckle heat" in your browser. The results are astounding.
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Naturally as the drought increases as well as other natural disasters world wide there is talk of not enough food for the growing population. This could easily be solved. It takes 7 lbs. of grain to produce 1 pound of beef, not to mention all the water. I don't know what the world's intake on beef is but let's say it is 15% of the total food intake. If the raising of beef were to stop and if my math is correct, that one alteration alone would double the quantity of food in the world. Perhaps 15% is high but we could add other animals that consume grain such as swine chickens, turkeys, and fish. Think of the water that would be saved.
I don't remember what % of beef on the hoof is actually edible but if 1/3 of a 1500 lb. steer is food that means that this one animal has consumed 3500 pounds of grain. That's roughly 70 bushels of grain. At a pound of food per person that would feed 3500 people for a day. Bovine also eat vegetation some of which could be used for food if necessary
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Very true, Colporteur. On a different note, sorghum is replacing many failed corn crops. It requires much less water. From Wiki:
... an important world crop, used for food (as grain and in sorghum syrup or "sorghum molasses"), fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, and biofuels. Most varieties are drought- and heat-tolerant, and are especially important in arid regions, where the grain is one of the staples for poor and rural people.
This was on national news the other day and those farmers switching to a sorghum crop are enjoying pre-sales of their entire harvest.
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My wife recently attended an NRCS meeting. The speaker and soil expert said that they expect the drought to last 3 years or more. He said that the farmers have caused the drought over the years by continually depleting the soil of organic matter and therefore causing an increase in soil temperature. He said that organic matter in the soil and cover crops cool the soil as well as holding the moisture. Thr speaker said that countries that follow the US model of intensive farming are experiencing the same thing but this can be reversed by rotating row crops with cover crops like alfalfa but it needs to be done now.
Not sure why but I have had the impression since this spring that the drought could likely last 3 1/2 years. Maybe something of biblical proportions is happening here.
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While these practices can help, it does not change the fact that there has been little rain. It is nice to blame man when in fact there are things going on in nature that has nothing to do with man, except that he has forsaken his God. As we get further into this, we shall hear from the professing Christian world that God is unhappy with America because we have forsaken him as a nation. Just look at the Democratic Parties resistance to mentioning God in their platform just voted. It is true that God has begun to remove His hand of protection from America and it is true that 9/11 and other disasters are the result. We shall see more and more disasters of an increasing magnitude. But, it is not God that is causing these, it is God who has removed His protecting hand from those who do not love Him and keep His commandments.
Fires, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, pestilence, and famine are in the land and will continue to increase world-wide. The Bible is a sure Word in a world soon to perish. As the world was at the time of Noah, so it is today just before the soon return of Jesus. Good is called evil and evil is called good. "Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment." Isaiah 59:14,15.
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A lack of rain certainly doesn't help, but farming techniques haven't helped. I've lived through years of serious drought and it is frightening, even for Christians. The landscape is an eerie greyish blonde, the sky hazy, sheep are skinny. Where I am we are entering another drought. Make it a serious and nationwide drought and we can imagine the implications.
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A large part of the reason it is not raining is because with that much heat in the ground and in the air the condensation factor is not present. It takes warm and cool to being rain. When you have so much heat in the air the moist air masses are pushed to the side of the heat mass. He showed how this happens in the Sahara desert. The heat pushes the moist air masses around the peremiter of the desert. This is largely what has been happening in the US. Anyway, this was the speaker's explanation. Heat and drought usually go hand in hand.
We have seen this in our state week after week and month after month. Nearly every week there has been at least one day where 60% chance of rain was forecast. Most of these weeks there was not so much as a dew and only on ocassion was there even a light sprinkle. We cannot deny that man is largely bringing upon himself all of his problems.
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You make some good points, Colporteur. I don't know if you have lived in severe drought but it is not difficult to imagine water rations. Not allowed to flush the toilet....
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It seems to be almost a sin that so much corn is being used to make ethenol instead of being used for food stuffs. The U.S. is now purchasing corn from other nations...primarily Brazil.
Fed law requires 40% of all the U.S. corn harvest is to be converted to ethenol. Does this make sense???
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Not when it takes so much energy to produce the corn, then the ethanol. If we could produce a vegetation that took less energy to turn into gas, that would be good. But, now it would be better to use the oil that we have to get us out of the economic mess we are in.
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The nation's worst drought in decades is expected to persist and likely intensify across much of the drought-stricken parts of the Plains, Southwest and Rockies over the next several months, federal scientists announced Thursday. Source (http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/02/21/spring-drought-outlook/1936429/)
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Texas farmers talking Dust Bowl
It's scary to think the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, with its relentless drought and wind that ravaged millions of acres in West Texas, could return.
But there are some worrisome signs, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
Reports this week from county agents in the Panhandle, South Plains and Rolling Plains indicate farmers and ranchers are working with "very difficult" conditions, according to a news release. Source (http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/Dry-windy-conditions-have-some-Texas-farmers-5357606.php?cmpid=hpfc)
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Several times this year we have had dust from the storms in the Panhandle reach all the way down here in Southeast Texas. This drought we've had for the last ten years or so is like the one Texas had back in the 50's. The first 10 years of my life were spent in this drought and I thought it was normal. After it ended, Texas began building reservoirs across the state in the 60's, 70's & 80's. Now most of them are way below capacity or dry and the population has quadrupled since the 50's. The experts say that while the droughts of the 30's and 50's were worse, but we now have too many people here for what water we have. There is a growing sense among even the worldly that the earth is wearing out and there is worse to come.
While we have had a wetter winter this year than the past years, we are still below 'normal' in rainfall. We're praying that we will have a better crop this year.
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Apparently the good Lord has seen fit to give the nation a good amount of rain this spring. As someone who dreams of hiking out west someday in the "real" mountains I see the snowpack for the Sierras is 185% above normal and that's not the only mountain range to have a much larger snowfall this year.
This part of the country is not exception either as all 5 of the Great Lakes are much higher than average and couple make break records.
Lake Erie's water levels are the highest they've been since 1998, and will remain 4 to 9 inches above normal through November.
The latest reading measured just 7.32 inches below the all-time record high set in 1986. Within the next week, the level could increase to just 6 inches below that record. Source (http://www.cleveland.com/weather/blog/index.ssf/2017/06/lake_erie_reaches_highest_leve.html)
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Global warming?
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I thought global warming was supposed to produce widespread drought. Maybe the prophets of global warming doom forgot that warmer weather causes more evaporation. The atmosphere can hold only so much moisture before it precipitates somewhere.
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I though global warming was supposed to produce widespread drought. Maybe the prophets of global warming doom forgot that warmer weather causes more evaporation. The atmosphere can hold only so much moisture before it precipitates somewhere.
It is interesting that the prophet said to build on high ground in the last days. That does not sound like drought to me.