Dry SeasonsThe Effects of Drought

Droughts = natural disasters Main cause = lack of precipitation Difficult to measure long-term effects

◦ malnutrition / starvation◦ mass migration /overcrowding of cities◦ political conflict / wars

Overview

Soil turns into dust and blows away No topsoil = no crops No grasses for cattle, sheep, etc. to eat Water sources dry up Malnutrition and starvation = death

Loss of crops & livestock

Threat of starvation may motivate people to migrate

Large numbers move from rural areas to cities

They do not return to their original homes Example: Brazil

Mass Migration

A favela in Brazil

Citizens begin to pressure their governments for relief

If government doesn’t help = political conflicts and/or wars

Poverty has led to major conflicts in nearly one-half of the world’s low-income countries since 1980. (World Bank)

Political Conflict & War

Cost of droughts in U.S. = over $6 billion More than twice the cost of floods

Conclusion

“Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth;without rain, there would be no life.”~John Updike