Man distributes fans, bottled water to help community beat the heat

CLOVIS, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico man has made it his mission to keep people "cool" in these ridiculously hot days.
It’s called "Operation Cool Down."
His goal is to keep everyone, especially the elderly, from feeling the effects of the grueling summer heat.
"There is a desperate need,” he said.
Tatum spends his time off work distributing fans and bottled water to those in need in southeastern New Mexico.
He also has a helper, his 8-year-old daughter, Harmony.
Tatum said he finds most people through referrals on his Facebook group, and many are unaware about what’s to come.
"The look on the people’s faces once you give them something, you know, they’re so appreciative and that right there is so priceless,” said Tatum.
He said that’s what keeps him going, even sticking it out in the heat himself to hold a car wash this past weekend with other volunteers to raise money.
“We’re burning up in here, so I really appreciate him coming out, helping,” said one woman featured on the Facebook page.

Dallas County the Latest to Implement Burn Ban Amid Heat, Drought

Dallas County is the latest county to implement a burn ban.
The county said Monday they were instituting a 60-day burn ban due to high drought conditions that have created a higher potential for wildfires.
The burn ban runs from June 24 until Sept. 22.
"Under the 60-day ban, residents are prohibited from open-acre fires and burning trash.
There are exceptions to these rules, one being that you can still burn trash if you live somewhere that does not have waste removal services and if you meet other residency requirements," the county said.
NBCDFW.com reported last week more than half of Texas’ 254 counties were currently under a burn ban due to excessive heat and drought.
Due to the imminent threat of wildfires due to a lack of rainfall, severe drought conditions and excessive triple-digit heat, most North Texas counties are among the 136 Texas counties currently prohibited from open burning.
Those found in violation of burn bans could face a fine.
Any questions or concern, please call the Dallas County Fire Marshal’s Office, we can be reached at 214-653-7970.

Sparked by extreme heat, bottle of water causes fire inside car

In an effort to stay hydrated this summer, many people keep a bottle of water close.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — In an effort to stay hydrated this summer, many people keep a bottle of water close.
But in some cases, that can be a problem.
Dioni Amuchastegue, a battery technician on the west coast, recently made a mistake that is now educating people across the country, including right here in Kentuckiana.
"I looked over and noticed that light was being refracted through a water bottle and starting to catch the seat on fire."
Amuchastegue said the water bottle became a magnifying glass for the sunlight.
The spark generated by the sunlight and water bottle even surprised firefighters.
"I guess I never thought about it before, but it makes sense," Brooks said.
"So I would highly recommend that you keep any, especially clear plastic water bottles, out of direct sunlight."
Firefighters say if you don’t want to take the bottle with you, putting it under your seat is another option.

City of Phoenix collecting bottles of water for Heat Relief Network

PHOENIX – The city of Phoenix released the following information about their "We’re Cool" Heat Relief Network, which needs water bottle donations headed into the summer heat.
———– "We’re Cool" Heat Relief Network needs immediate help to ensure the city’s vulnerable population stays hydrated and safe during the summer and especially as the extreme heat returns.
The city has already handed out nearly 200,000 bottles of water since the "We’re Cool" Heat Relief Network kicked off in May.
Although each of the locations have water available for the next few days, after that, it’s anticipated the city’s reserves will reach crucial lows.
Both monetary and bottled water donations are being sought to replenish the city’s reserves for the "We’re Cool" Heat Relief Network locations.
To learn more about donating call 602-534-0543.
To locate a "We’re Cool" Heat Relief Network hydration and cooling stations, CLICK HERE.
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Study Suggests Heat, Drought Triggered 2014 Napa Valley Earthquake

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — “Earthquake weather” is often dismissed as not a real phenomenon, but a new study suggests a combination of drought and heat may have caused an earthquake that hit the Napa Valley in 2014.
When the magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit the Napa and Sonoma Valleys in the summer of 2014, it killed one person, injured several hundred and caused more than $500 million in losses.
The study recently published in the American Geophysical Union’s Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth suggests land between the valleys is stretched each summer as groundwater levels fall beneath the valleys and the ground in the valleys sinks and contracts.
The amount of the horizontal stretching measured is tiny — about 3 millimeters (0.12 inch) — but enough to stress faults, according to the researchers.
“We think it’s more of a localized effect, something related to the groundwater system.
We don’t know if it is groundwater pumping specifically, or something related to how the natural aquifer system works, or a combination,” said lead author Meredith Kraner, formerly of the Department of Geosciences at Stony Brook University in New York and now with the University of Nevada, Reno.
Amid the drought, water agencies put further stress on the land as they pumped more groundwater, putting extra stress on the West Napa fault system, possibly triggering an earthquake.
According to the USGS, there is no such thing as earthquake weather because, statistically, there an equal distribution of earthquakes in all weather.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Wildlife feels impact of drought conditions

Meg Hilling DURANGO, Colo. – Many are feeling the heat from the drought.
According to wildlife experts, animals like fish are struggling through the dry conditions.
"Fish definitely feel it quite a bit," said Ryan Votta, assistant manager at the Durango State Fish Hatchery.
Managers with the fish hatchery in Durango say they are having to release the fish into the rivers sooner this year.
Usually, we like to get out catchable rainbows to 10 inches," Votta said.
"But because of extremely low water and extreme drought conditions, we’ve had to stock several fish out as 9 inchers just because we don’t have the water to keep these fish healthy."
"Another big concern is that when we are stocking them out in the rivers and lakes around here, is checking that those water bodies are safe to stock our fish," Votta said.
"Making sure the dissolved oxygen is okay, the PH levels are okay.
It’s not just fish.
"Try to keep them moving so they are seeking natural sources of food and not human sources."

Record heat sounds great, but could make drought worse

Days of upper 80’s and upper 90’s for the many will mean sunscreen and sun hats West could be in for Summer-like heat!
High pressure that parks itself over the western half of the nation through the middle part of the week, bringing abundant sunshine, dry conditions and temperatures into the 80s and 90s.
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Things will return to more normal conditions next week.
Drought Breeds Drought?
Could the drought only get worse with the extreme heat?
Avoid working in the heat of the day all-together.
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Central team faces the heat in drought-hit Prakasam

An inter-ministerial Central team that visited Prakasam district on Wednesday to assess the severity of drought had a bad experience on Wednesday as a group of people in Bestavaripeta village blocked the convoy demanding adequate drinking water supply to them.
“There is no end to our water woes as the Cumbum tank has gone bone dry,” the upset villagers told Central team leader B. Rajender, Union Joint Secretary(Crops) and sought his intervention.
District Collector V. Vinay Chand later promised to arrange for water tankers.
The situation was no different in Kandulapuram village, where sweet orange and lime growers waiting under the hot sun for long to pour out their woes, shouted slogans when they did not get a chance to represent their problems to the Central team.
Highlighting the woes of farmers, Congress Markapur Assembly segment in-charge Sk.Saida said a series of failed bore wells presented a pathetic picture of peasants in the district.
Winding up the whirlwind visit of some of the drought-affected areas in Markapur division, including Podili, K.K.
Mitla and Tarlupadu, Mr. Rajender said they would submit a detailed account of the “grim” drought situation in the district and recommend Central assistance as per norms.
The District Collector explained to the team members, including Rajeev Singhal from the Central Water Commission, Nita Tahiliani, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Animal Husbandry and G.R.
Zagar, Consultant, Union Ministry of Drinking Water, that the crop loss during rabi was ₹1,182 crore and sought an immediate Central assistance of ₹236 crore to take up drought mitigation measures on a war-footing, including provision of input subsidy of ₹125.60 crore to the affected farmers.
The district administration had spent ₹36 crore for transportation of water through tankers to 280 habitations till date and it would require about ₹42 crore to scale up water supply through tankers to 510 habitations during peak summer, Mr.Vinay Chand explained.

2018 South America autumn forecast: Rounds of rain to limit heat in Brazil, Venezuela; Drought to worsen in Argentina

Warmth will be the trend across much of Argentina and the Pacific Coast this autumn, with dryness leading to drought concerns in some areas.
Meanwhile, rounds of rain will limit temperatures and dryness across much of northern and eastern South America.
Rain to frequent northern, central South America Rounds of rain will soak much of the northern tier of South America this autumn, limiting drought concerns.
While rain frequents northern and eastern Brazil, drier conditions are in the forecast for southern regions of the country.
“Southern Brazil, namely Rio Grande Do Sul to Parana, will start the season drier than normal before trending toward a more active and wetter pattern later in the season,” Nicholls said.
“The wet pattern can lead to harvesting delays, but far southern Rio Grande So Sul can average drier than normal for the season,“ Nicholls added.
Drought concerns to build in Argentina, Uruguay The dry conditions persisting across Argentina this summer will continue into the autumn, putting the country at risk for drought.
These areas will continue to average drier than normal through the autumn,” Nicholls said.
“The drier- and warmer-than-normal pattern will likely further stress corn and soybeans [grown across the region] as they push into maturing,” Nicholls said.
Similar conditions are expected for northern and central Chile with waves of heat in March and April, including in the capital of Santiago.

Southland, Otago farmers offered drought relief

NEW ZEALAND Southland, Otago farmers offered drought relief 2 Feb, 2018 1:29pm 2 minutes to read Drought-stricken farmers in Southland and parts of Otago are the latest to be offered special relief payments. Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said today that the Government’s Rural Assistance Payments would be extended to the districts of Southland, Invercargill, Gore, Clutha, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. The payments, available from Monday to January 21 next year, help farmers meet essential living expenses and have already been offered to farmers in the Lower North Island and the West Coast this season. Sepuloni…