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Texas' 2011 drought costliest in state history: researchers

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posted on Mar, 27 2012 @ 05:30 PM
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www.reuters.com...


(Reuters) - Texas agriculture producers lost $7.62 billion to the state's 2011 drought, which experts said makes it the costliest drought in the state's history and possibly the most expensive drought ever suffered by any state.



"No one alive has seen single-year drought damage to this extent," said Travis Miller, an agricultural economist at Texas A&M University.


I had a feeling this would be worse than expected. I wouldnt be suprised if they find out even more damage was done.

Also, there's still a bit drouight here. My area was under stage 2 drought, but we have had a couple storms in the past couple weeks, so some restrictions may be lowered any day now. Hopeully, we wont have to experience the same again this year

ETA - Also, the 7.62 billion figure didnt take into account the timber industry.


The loss figures of $7.62 billion do not include losses in the state's lucrative commercial timber industry.



"The commercial timber forested area of East Texas was among the hardest hit," said Burl Carroway of the Texas Forest Service, adding that an estimated $558 million of standing trees that could have been sold for timber, succumbed to the drought.


So the total cost is a little more than $8 billion.
edit on 27-3-2012 by buni11687 because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 27 2012 @ 05:44 PM
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Hello Denton! I used to live in Lake Dallas and spent a lot of time in Denton.

The thing is, we are in a drought cycle currently, which NOAA states will not really be over until 2020. I pray that they're wrong. Where I live, we are still in a severe drought. Y'all have gotten a decent amount of rain lately. We've gotten less than half an inch since the beginning of the year. Even the cacti are drying up and dying.

The La Nina pattern which is causing this is in a temporary lull, but I anticipate it strengthening again. It's going to be a long, hot and mind-numbingly dry summer.



posted on Mar, 27 2012 @ 05:52 PM
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reply to post by FissionSurplus
 


West TX is getting it pretty hard from what I have been hearing. If these conditions continue, Im guessing the 2012 damage cost is going to be alot more than 2011's. The heat seems to be coming quicker than usual. It's around 80 where I am, but im guessing your area is around 90 at the moment. I usually dont start running my AC in my car until another month, but I just had to today.....Cant wait for August...




The thing is, we are in a drought cycle currently, which NOAA states will not really be over until 2020.


2020? Holy cow, that's insane. Well....atleast I prefer the heat over the cold.



posted on Mar, 27 2012 @ 06:25 PM
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reply to post by buni11687
 


Yes, you heard correctly. We are getting hit hard with this. The cotton this past year looked pathetic...The bolls were small and not of good quality. I had a large garden and we are on well water. I had to drip water on my plants constantly so they wouldn't dry up and blow away.

The absolute WORST part of the drought is the critters that get stirred up and driven to get inside my house because they are hot and thirsty. This last summer and fall we were overrun with the dreaded Arizona Bark Scorpion. They come out at night and run around on the carpet. You won't die from their sting but you'll get pretty sick. I even found one on my comforter as I was making the bed. If last year was any indication, we're gonna be overrun again, and the cats won't eat them, they'll just play with them and make them mad.



Picture this little sucker right by your bare foot as you're standing there cooking dinner. I bought some black light flashlights (they glow in the black light), a long pole with sticky stuff on the end to pick them up, and some sticky tape to catch them as they slip under the door (and if you can slip a piece of paper under your door, they can get in).

Pray for rain! It keeps them in the fields and away from my bare feet!!



posted on Mar, 27 2012 @ 06:37 PM
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reply to post by FissionSurplus
 


That's one thing I really hate about high temperatures. Wasps, and mosquitoes are already buzzing around all over here. (I especially hate wasps). I havent seen any June bugs yet, but I havent actually gone outside much at night recently. I havent seen any scorpions in my area, except once a few years ago. I guess they avoid my area.

If drought conditions begin getting worse soon, Im guessing even more of these critters are going to be storming our houses. Im fine with most spiders hanging around in the house, since they eat the other things. Ive also noticed more gecko's are hanging around inside in just the past few weeks. I love having geckos around.

One thing that worries me, is the poisonus snakes. I wonder, if drought conditions worsen, how desperate will they become?

ETA - Almsot forgot about coyotes. There were a few articles from late 2011 that said the wildlife has been getting pretty hurt from the drought, so I wonder what the coyotes will do. They usually leave us alone and stay away for us, but I wouldnt be suprised if they move in closer and closer
edit on 27-3-2012 by buni11687 because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 27 2012 @ 06:59 PM
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reply to post by buni11687
 


We had a pool in Lake Dallas, and wasps were a constant problem. They are quite aggressive out there, and set up wasps nests in bushes, so when you go out to trim those bushes, you stir 'em up and get stung. They are attracted to water.

I would be most worried about snakes near water sources. I understand that snakes can go without eating for over a year, but they can't go for more than a day or so without water. Areas around the lakes (like Lake Lewisville), like heavy thicket, dead wood or rocks would be an idea spot for them to hide from the intense daytime heat.

If the snakes get desperate enough, even watering your lawn in the evening would attract them.

Oh, and the coyotes out there are SILENT, they roam the subdivisions at night and any dog or cat not in a fenced yard is in danger.
edit on 27-3-2012 by FissionSurplus because: (no reason given)

edit on 27-3-2012 by FissionSurplus because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 29 2012 @ 02:51 PM
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reply to post by buni11687
Central Texas here. Its bad news around my area. We've had a couple of storms recently which helped but not enough. Ponds and stock tanks still dried up. Our lake is about twenty feet below normal. I've also noticed alot of mature, established oak trees that up and died due to the drought. You know its bad when trees that are 80 to 100 years old just die over the course of a summer. Also, my Grandmother-in-law had a well that ran dry. We pulled the pump out of the hole and it was full of sand. Not a drop of water, at all. After that several neighbors had the same thing happen.
Also, last summer, we were over run with grasshoppers. They stripped my garden and even resorted to eating any tomatoes that had fallen on the ground. What really blew me away was.....I had pulled some of my onions up and had them hanging in my garage. One morning I stepped into the garage and noticed about ten grasshoppers on one of the baseball sized onions. They were all clinging to it and when I shook them off, I revealed a large 'bite mark' in the side of the vegetable. They had been eating the onion and it looked like a person had walked in, took a big bite right out of the side and left it hanging there. I never imagined a grasshopper would eat an onion but I guess they were desperate for water and that was the easiest way to get it.
Anyways, the drought ruined my garden and pushed the grasshoppers to ruin the few veggies I was able to harvest.
I prey this year isn't the sameway. So far it seems it might be. Already reaching near 90 degrees here and with the lack of winter, the insects will surely be out in full force.

BTW, I recently found out that grasshoppers lay their eggs in the ground. When it rains, a certain percentage of the eggs are destroyed. With out rain, though, the eggs are left to hatch, unchecked by nature and we get over run with the garden devouring pests. It was kind of upsetting to learn that.

TXML




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