Free Republic

SEATTLE (Reuters) - With snowpacks at a quarter of normal levels and sunny, warm days well ahead of the summer months, the home state of the "rainy city" of Seattle declared a drought emergency on Thursday. Washington state Gov. Christine Gregoire authorized the statewide drought emergency, the first since 2001, after unusually low winter snowfalls in the Cascades left rivers on both sides of the mountain range flowing at record-low levels. Gregoire said in a statement it was "very likely that all areas of our state will experience at least some level of drought this year." She also told the...

Gregoire declares drought emergency 10:01 PM PST on Thursday, March 10, 2005 Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, responding to predictions of the worst drought since 1977, on Thursday declared a statewide drought emergency. Gregoire directed her Emergency Drought Committee to gear up an emergency command center, track and coordinate responses by state agencies and make sure state resources reach where they are needed. She ordered the National Guard to prepare for combatting wildfires this summer and requested the Legislature to boost drought-related appropriations by an additional $8.2 million. "While water shortages won't affect all areas of...