Water’s on my mind today. I thought I’d share my thoughts and relevant links. Just adding tags to this post paints a picture – Minnesota, Lake Tahoe, water, flood, drought, consern, choices, Yellowstone, Yuma Arizona, weather events, Insurance, baby formula, cows, Kansas.
Minnesota’s Weather
Minnesota is flooding and it also had an unusual heatwave earlier this week. Duluth was only in the 50s, however, the twin cities hit 90 degrees. It’s only June. The northern part of the state is flooding. The little streams are down to bare rock and stripped of plants. Roads, houses, and businesses are flooding. More rain is in the forecast.
Michigan’s baby formula
The Abbott plant that just restarted production of baby formula in Michigan is flooded. The plant is again shut down. What are parents to do?
Kansas is on my mind
Thousands of cows died from the heat in Kansas this week. The heat wave that hit southern Minnesota also devastated livestock. To add to this, Kansas is in a drought. Beef production is a major contributor to climate change.
Yellowstone’s partially closed
The northern loop in Yellowstone National Park is closed, likely for the rest of the summer. The recent rains caused flooding and damage to basic infrastructure.
Only the southern loop of the park is available to visit now. I’m sure this is affecting a lot of people and their planned vacations.
Nevada and California
There are bodies and debris being removed from Lake Mead. This is the large reservoir that sits behind the Hoover Dam. Currently, the dam is producing 33% less electricity and this could decrease even more. The Colorado River also provides water to the southwestern states and Mexico. Who will get the rights to water as there is less of it?
Lake Tahoe is also way below its average level. This lake also uses a dam to slowly feed water into the Truckee River which winds through northern Nevada, and eventually ends in Pyramid Lake on the Paiute Reservation.
Florida’s insurance issue
Florida and Louisiana homeowners are losing their homeowners insurance. But, the risk of a hurricane isn’t any less. What are people to do? Hurricane season is starting. Water’s on my mind!
What are we doing to help slow and mitigate the effects of climate change? Individual choices can make a difference if the entire world’s population was on board. People across this country, let alone the world, are not. I’m concerned for the well being of people, animals, and the environment.
Water’s on my mind!
I think we need to THINK about water. It’s one of our most precious resources, a requirement for life, and also a potential source of devastation. Living in an RV, normally off grid, we have water on our minds constantly. For instance, we consider how much we have, if we should take an extra shower, where we can buy more fresh water when we need it.
I think we should all take a look at what we are doing and start making changes in how we think about, and use water. Then, maybe there will be enough of us to vote for representatives that will make the hard political choices, and help us have a better future.
We need to build roads differently to prevent dangerous washouts. Some homes should have modifications, others should be abandoned. In eiher case, people require support to move away from flood zones. Communities in the southwest need to start making plans as to where to source water. Desalinization? Conservation? Allowing all non-native plants to die? Food in our grovcery stores grow in this region of the country. So, who gets the water? Farmers and growers? Communities? Large companies?
The issues are diverse and we must consider them, now. Now, we need change on the local level as well as the state and federal level. Companies need to make changes, too. I’m concerned. Maybe you have water in mind, too?
