Drought-stricken California is burning, flooding at the same time
Wildfire stopped traffic on I-15 in Hesperia, Calif., as it spread across a highway, burning all cars in its path. (Reuters)
Amid California’s historic drought, an even rarer weekend downpour that calmed wildfires also washed away a 30-foot bridge that carries commuters to Arizona.
An elevated area on Interstate 10 collapsed early Sunday evening near Southeastern California’s Desert Center, leaving a pickup truck trapped underneath. Firefighters launched a cut and rescue operation and the driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries, authorities told the Associated Press. California Highway Patrol have since stopped eastbound traffic near Joshua Tree National Park, a roadway from Palm Springs to the Arizona border.
A vehicle proceeds slowly through water covering a road following a downpour in northwest Moreno Valley, Calif, on July 19. (John Bender/The Press-Enterprise via AP)
A few feet away stood the Wollenmans — Guy, his brother Jody and their cousin Tommy — third-generation citrus farmers whose family maintains some of the oldest orange groves in the region. Like so many Central Valley farmers, their legacy is in danger — put at risk by California’s worst drought in decades. The lack of rain and snow runoff from the nearby Sierra Nevada has caused many of their wells to go dry. To save their hundreds of acres of trees, they’ll need to find new, deeper sources of water — and that’s where Tassey comes in.
Many California farmers support this bill. “We have a large population of people who came here to work, not to be any kind of a security threat to anybody,” said Bryan Little, director of employment policy at the California Farm Bureau Association (CFBA), “And they came to work in an industry that needs them badly.”
Four years ago, Utah passed a program similar to what Alejo proposed. It’s starting date was pushed back twice, and it has yet to be implemented.
Worse yet, there are a handful of wells that have been under temporary seal since the 1950s, and at least 17 since the 1970s.
“There’s not much I can contribute to the family anymore,” Mr. Liu, 62, said as his son waved goodbye from a bus window. “He is exhausted every day, so if I can help him get a bit more rest, I’ll do it.”
I baelieve that we have entered a period when violent crime is going to skyrocket – especially in the next economic downturn.
There appears to have been a sharp increase in the number of Indonesians fighting with ISIS in the last few months. Between March 1 and June 1, 2015, 44 Indonesians have been killed in Syria and Iraq, The Australian document shows that ISIS appears to be “recruiting skill sets, professional groups” |
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