 The Drought Response Task Force is chaired by the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency and includes experts from the Illinois Department
of Agriculture, Illinois Water Survey, Illinois Department of Public
Health and Illinois Emergency Management Agency. The task force will
continue to report and make recommendations to the governor."We
are seeing drought conditions throughout Illinois, and it is
important to convene the state's top experts on weather, water
resources and water supply management, agriculture, public health
and safety in order to address the needs of communities around the
state," Quinn said. "The Drought Response Task Force allows us to
better evaluate what we need to do to manage the impacts of drought
in the coming weeks."
The Drought Response Task Force was established in response to
past droughts and will meet as needed to monitor the conditions of
the state's water resources and systems and coordinate the state's
response to drought situations. The purpose of the task force is to
assist community and state officials and to provide the public with
information and tools that promote better decision-making in water
supply planning and reduce drought-related impacts.
The Illinois State Water Survey reports that most of southern and
central Illinois is considered in drought, based on precipitation
deficits of 5 inches or more dating back to July 2011, with deficits
of 8 inches or more in southeast Illinois and up to 12 inches in
portions of west-central Illinois during that time. Northern
Illinois is also dry, and if lack of rainfall persists, could be
considered in drought in the coming weeks. The agency adds that the
effects of the precipitation deficits are even more substantial due
to unseasonably warm weather, including the warmest spring on record
in parts of Illinois. Updates on dry conditions are available at
http://www.isws.illinois.edu/hilites/drought/.
"The full extent of drought-related crop damage is not known yet,
but early assessments indicate farmers will sustain substantial
yield losses, especially in southern Illinois, where much of the
corn crop has been destroyed," said Bob Flider, acting director of
the Illinois Department of Agriculture. "I appreciate Agriculture
Secretary Vilsack's efforts to simplify the disaster declaration
process. They will result in the immediate declaration of 26
Illinois counties as disaster areas and make farmers in those
counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans that can be used
to pay not only production expenses but also essential family living
expenses."
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Under new USDA rules announced yesterday, a county automatically
qualifies for a disaster designation once it is categorized by the
U.S. Drought Monitor as being in a severe drought for eight or more
consecutive weeks during the growing season. A formal request for
the designation is no longer necessary.
The 26 counties in Illinois that immediately meet the new
criteria are Alexander, Clark, Clay, Crawford, Edwards, Franklin,
Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson,
Lawrence, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline,
Union, Wabash, Wayne, White and Williamson. Additional counties
almost assuredly will qualify in the coming weeks.
Farmers who believe they may be eligible for the assistance
should contact their county Farm Service Agency office. Loan
applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into
account the extent of losses, security available and applicant's
repayment ability.
The activation of the Drought Response Task Force is based on a
protocol set up by the Water Plan Task Force in 1984. It was
activated most recently in 2005.
[Text from
Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency and
Illinois Department of
Natural Resources
file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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