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CNN Live At Daybreak
One of Worst Droughts in History of Western States
Aired June 20, 2003 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Stronger winds are expected in Arizona today and that is going to make it even more difficult to fight a wildfire that has already charred 4,000 acres northeast of Tucson. The so-called Aspen Fire was being pushed along by 40-mile an hour winds. It has destroyed an unknown number of mountain resort homes, perhaps as many as 250. And it has forced the evacuation of 400 people from Summer Haven; so far, though, no reports of injuries.
And those wildfire conditions come about because of one of the worst droughts in the history of the Western states. Our Casey Wian tells us about the dangers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Arizona rancher Ken Evans fears this week's Western wildfires are just the beginning.
KEN EVANS, ARIZONA FARM BUREAU: Memorial Day, these trees were green, looked normal.
WIAN: Drought is quickly killing millions of trees in Arizona's high country. Dry trees have allowed tiny bark beetles to spread like a biblical plague.
EVANS: That's where the beetle has gone in. There are these trials where they started chewing, leaving their droppings behind.
WIAN (on camera): The numbers are staggering. According to the Arizona Farm Bureau, the bark beetle has infested a million acres, killing 13 million trees at a rate of 9,000 dead trees per day.
(voice over): As trees loose moisture the air becomes even drier, fueling both drought and fire.
EVANS: We have just a huge source of flammable product out in the forests that we cannot, under any set of circumstances, deal with. So, the danger is probably greater now than at any time in recorded history, maybe at anytime in the history of these forests.
WIAN: Much of the West is experiencing its worst drought in hundreds of years; 11 states are suffering from either extreme or exceptional drought conditions, while Arizona and Utah have declared states of emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, if you're looking at the areas that are in the worst shape right now, the immediate future doesn't look real promising. It's a fairly dry time of the year for them right now, so even if they get above normal precipitation, in the grand scheme of things it is not going to be enough to improve conditions significantly.
WIAN: The impact of the drought ranges from shrinking livestock herds to growing restrictions on water use to increasingly bitter local disputes over water rights. The federal government's drought plan urges resolving those differences and conservation through infrastructure investments.
GALE NORTON, SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR: When you look at the potential savings in water that can come about through the lining of canals, or in other ways, bringing our irrigation infrastructure up to the 21st century, we can find a lot of water that is available through that.
WIAN: But for some time is running out. Ken Evans once kept 12,000 head of cattle on this property, this year, none.
EVANS: That's what we're trying to do, is just hang on by our fingernails until this cycle does break.
WIAN: This mountain town, normally teeming with tourists, is now surrounded by dead trees.
Casey Wian, CNN, Payson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 20, 2003 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Stronger winds are expected in Arizona today and that is going to make it even more difficult to fight a wildfire that has already charred 4,000 acres northeast of Tucson. The so-called Aspen Fire was being pushed along by 40-mile an hour winds. It has destroyed an unknown number of mountain resort homes, perhaps as many as 250. And it has forced the evacuation of 400 people from Summer Haven; so far, though, no reports of injuries.
And those wildfire conditions come about because of one of the worst droughts in the history of the Western states. Our Casey Wian tells us about the dangers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Arizona rancher Ken Evans fears this week's Western wildfires are just the beginning.
KEN EVANS, ARIZONA FARM BUREAU: Memorial Day, these trees were green, looked normal.
WIAN: Drought is quickly killing millions of trees in Arizona's high country. Dry trees have allowed tiny bark beetles to spread like a biblical plague.
EVANS: That's where the beetle has gone in. There are these trials where they started chewing, leaving their droppings behind.
WIAN (on camera): The numbers are staggering. According to the Arizona Farm Bureau, the bark beetle has infested a million acres, killing 13 million trees at a rate of 9,000 dead trees per day.
(voice over): As trees loose moisture the air becomes even drier, fueling both drought and fire.
EVANS: We have just a huge source of flammable product out in the forests that we cannot, under any set of circumstances, deal with. So, the danger is probably greater now than at any time in recorded history, maybe at anytime in the history of these forests.
WIAN: Much of the West is experiencing its worst drought in hundreds of years; 11 states are suffering from either extreme or exceptional drought conditions, while Arizona and Utah have declared states of emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, if you're looking at the areas that are in the worst shape right now, the immediate future doesn't look real promising. It's a fairly dry time of the year for them right now, so even if they get above normal precipitation, in the grand scheme of things it is not going to be enough to improve conditions significantly.
WIAN: The impact of the drought ranges from shrinking livestock herds to growing restrictions on water use to increasingly bitter local disputes over water rights. The federal government's drought plan urges resolving those differences and conservation through infrastructure investments.
GALE NORTON, SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR: When you look at the potential savings in water that can come about through the lining of canals, or in other ways, bringing our irrigation infrastructure up to the 21st century, we can find a lot of water that is available through that.
WIAN: But for some time is running out. Ken Evans once kept 12,000 head of cattle on this property, this year, none.
EVANS: That's what we're trying to do, is just hang on by our fingernails until this cycle does break.
WIAN: This mountain town, normally teeming with tourists, is now surrounded by dead trees.
Casey Wian, CNN, Payson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
