Political Quotes

“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.”