[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 14, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H13944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SOUTHEASTERN DROUGHT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to call to the attention 
of Congress what is occurring in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic 
region of the United States. When you look at the statistics and look 
at the effects, there is only one word that can describe this drought--
it is a total disaster.
  This isn't a disaster like a tornado or a hurricane, where you have 
one big storm and it's over, or a big fire. This drought is a 
continuous process, and the impact adds up over time. The drought is 
the worst one on record in the Southeast and in my home State of North 
Carolina.
  We know that this entire Southeast region has had about 19 inches 
less rainfall than we should have had this year, and some areas have 
received even less. You can see from this map what a large area of 
severe drought we now have.
  The States that have been the hardest hit include Arkansas, 
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, South 
Carolina, and Virginia.
  In North Carolina, our Governor has ordered citizens to halt all 
nonessential water use. This drought has affected our farmers to an 
extent so great that it is now affecting our rural communities. Plants 
are having their production levels cut to save water. Some communities 
have only a few months of water supply remaining. In my district, the 
Second District of North Carolina, nearly the entire area has been 
afflicted by what is called an exceptional drought, and this is the 
most severe level. Farmers have been struggling all year from this 
truly epic weather condition.
  Mr. Speaker, I am working in Congress to provide some relief. Last 
month, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to shine a 
spotlight on this growing disaster, and the Governor of our State, 
Governor Easley, testified himself as to the magnitude of this crisis.
  Many of my colleagues may have seen this week that in my neighboring 
State of Georgia, the Governor has even called a meeting and asked for 
prayer. I am all for praying for rain, but, my friends, it is going to 
take more than prayer.
  I have written a letter to the President asking for assistance. This 
letter was signed by 54 of my fellow colleagues here in Congress from 
both sides of the aisle.
  Farmers are some of the most resourceful and ingeniously productive 
people around, but there is just so much that you can do to grow crops, 
raise livestock or poultry without one of the essentials of life, and 
that is water.
  Mr. Speaker, I am here tonight to raise a greater awareness, because 
we all need to work together to help solve this problem. People need to 
realize how serious it really is.
  I am concerned that some folks may think the crisis might be solved 
if we get just a little rain. Unfortunately, our farmers tell me the 
damage has already been done, and I can agree, having visited a lot of 
farms. Even if we had a nice soaking rain this week and next week and 
the week after that and the week after that, it has been said that we 
will need 25 inches of rain in the next 6 months just to get the water 
level back to where it was. We've lost our cotton, our beans, our corn, 
and many of the other crops, and they won't be able to grow this winter 
unless we get more ground water. The crop this year is now lost.
  The problem today is that too many Americans think that the food that 
they eat comes from the grocery store. I want them to understand, 
that's just where they go to pick it up. That food comes from a farm. 
They forget that it's the farmer out in the field working every day of 
the year to make sure that Americans have the most bountiful and least 
expensive food supply in the world. It's hard work, it's a huge gamble, 
and for the farmers in the Southeast this year, they lost.
  It's time that this Congress, Mr. Speaker, joined hands and helped 
these folks. They have always been there for us, and now we need to be 
there for them.
  Our farmers in rural communities desperately need assistance. It is 
my hope that we can pass the relief package before this year ends and 
that the President will sign it and will help these farmers and their 
families in rural communities across the whole Southeast be back in the 
fields next year providing food and fiber for the American people.

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