STATE ACTIONS TO MITIGATE DROUGHT - LESSONS LEARNED

Drought has been a common feature in the United States during the past decade and has resulted in significant economic, social, and environm ental impacts in virtually all parts of the nation. The purpose of thi s paper is two fold. First, the status of state drought planning is di scussed to illustrate the significant increase in the number of states that have prepared response plans - from three states in 1982 to 27 i n 1997. In addition, six states are now in various stages of plan deve lopment. Second, mitigative actions implemented by states in response to the series of severe drought years since 1986 are summarized. This information was obtained through a survey of states. The study conclud es that states have made significant progress in addressing drought-re lated issues and concerns through the planning process. However, exist ing plans are still largely reactive in nature, treating drought in an emergency response mode. Mitigative actions adopted by states provide a unique archive that may be transferable to other states. Incorporat ing these actions into a more anticipatory, risk management approach t o drought management will help states move away from the traditional c risis management approach.