Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509150093
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The declaration allows state agencies to provide assistance wherever needed without going through the usual bureaucratic red tape, said Michael Cline, deputy coordinator for the state Department of Emergency Services.
``It enables the agencies to make a more timely response,'' Cline said.
For example, the declaration authorizes the Virginia Department of Forestry to ban campfires and bypass the state procurement process to buy whatever it needs to fight wildfires.
The declaration also would allow the governor to activate the Virginia National Guard to haul water to the most drought-plagued areas. The National Guard already has hauled water into Wise and Dickenson counties on weekends, when the Guard was on routine training duty under federal control.
``The impact of the drought is being severely felt by farmers across the commonwealth, and water supplies are low in many areas,'' said Allen, who toured a drought-stricken farm in Hanover County on Thursday.
Despite the drought conditions in some areas, the Roanoke city water supply is in no danger of a shortage.
Water Production Superintendent Delmar Irving said Carvin's Cove is 5 feet, 4 inches below the spillway, which is ``excellent'' for this time of year. Normally, it can be as much as 10-14 feet below full pond this time of year, he said.
Roanoke's last measurable rainfall was on Sept. 1 and was .06 of an inch, according to the National Weather Service.
Irving said the winter rains are on their way and will likely fill Carvin's Cove.
Most areas of the state, however, have gone without measurable precipitation for 30 to 45 days.
``We continue to show decline in our crop prospects,'' said Robert T. Bass of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
About 40 percent of the state's soybean, peanut and cotton crops are in poor condition or worse, he said, as are 77 percent of Virginia's pastures.
Drinking water supplies are tight in Chesapeake and in Hanover and Smyth counties, and the state's forests are susceptible to wildfires.
The Virginia Forestry Department's cumulative severity index - a measure of the forest fire potential - stands at about 600 across the state, which means the fire threat is severe, said Lou Southard, a department spokesman.
The state has called up its Drought Monitoring Task Force, a group of state and federal government specialists on weather, agriculture, climate, water supply and forestry.
Allen said the task force will continue to monitor the drought.
Byron Pugh, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist and task force member, said: ``It's probably premature to hit a panic button.''
State climatologist Patrick J. Michaels agreed. ``This is not what I would call a classic drought,'' he said. ``It doesn't fill the cattle skull and crossbones in the dust vision.''
Staff writer Lisa K. Garcia contributed information to this story.
by CNB