Drought of 2012 conjures up Dust Bowl memories, raises questions for tomorrow

From dry rivers to dead deer, drought’s impact felt everywhere. Nothing in U.S. history can compare to that calamity of eight decades ago, including the historic drought now gripping much of the country.

That doesn’t mean, though, there isn’t considerable suffering and devastation now in most of the United States. Or that dire conditions could well persist for several years, as they did during the 1930s — compounding negative impacts of drought, thus ruining even more livelihoods and lives despite technological and agricultural advancements of recent years.

“Mother Nature holds all the cards,” said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center. “You roll the dice … every year. Nothing will make you quote-unquote drought-proof.”

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