December 2006

Breaking News

NIDIS Update

The Senate passed the National Integrated Drought Information System Act (S. 2752) on Wednesday, December 6, the final hurdle before the bill goes to the President’s desk for signing. The Senate legislation authorizes $81 million through FY 2012 to be spent on predicting droughts and protecting society from their effects, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the lead federal agency. The National Drought Mitigation Center and other organizations such as the Western Governors’ Association have been involved in NIDIS since its inception. The Drought Center will be involved in implementation, pilot studies, portal development, education, planning, developing new tools, and more. “NIDIS reinforces what our message has been about all along,” said NDMC climatologist Mark Svoboda. “We as a country need to take a proactive approach to drought. We know droughts are going to happen and we need to be better prepared in dealing with them.”

NIDIS Implementation Team Progresses

Dr. Mike Hayes, Associate Director of the NDMC, and Mark Svoboda, NDMC Climatologist, met with other members of the Implementation Team for the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) last month in Washington, D.C.
Under the leadership of Dr. Roger Pulwarty of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the group made progress on envisioning how the multi-agency effort can come together. They also discussed pilot studies and a web-based information portal. More conclusive information should be forthcoming early next year, and an oversight committee will be formed.

Funding will be a factor in how quickly ideas come to fruition. Drought policy observers are hoping that Congress will take action on NIDIS legislation before the session ends December 31. The full House and a Senate committee have each passed NIDIS bills.

Indiana Moves Toward Mitigation

Dr. Michael J. Hayes, Associate Director of the NDMC, met with Jerry Unterreiner from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on November 9 to discuss how Indiana could incorporate drought triggers and mitigation actions into its planning. The NDMC’s mission is to help decision-makers at all levels, including states, move from emergency response to a “risk-management” approach. That includes taking steps ahead of time to identify and reduce vulnerability, and having an early warning system in place with thresholds that can trigger various drought mitigation measures.

NDMC Provides Technical Assistance to Jordan

The National Drought Mitigation Center hosted four Jordanian meteorologists and policy specialists for 10 days in November. It was part of a Technical Cooperation Project funded by the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization to develop a national drought strategy and action plan for Jordan. Dr. Don Wilhite, director of the NDMC, is serving as the International Team Leader for this project. The visitors were Mr. Mousa Alwadi, Ministry of Agriculture; Mr. Qasem Irsheadat, Ministry of Agriculture; Ms. Ghada Al-Naber, National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer; and Mr. Mohammad Semawi, Meteorological Department.

Dr. Wilhite will visit Jordan for a final workshop next spring.

Wilhite Radio Interview Broadcast in Drought-Stricken Australia

During his November trip to Australia, Dr. Don Wilhite did a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Company's National Interest program. Australia has possibly the world’s best-thought-out drought policy, but implementing it, especially in the midst of a multi-year drought, has proven quite challenging. Dr. Wilhite’s interview is available as an audiofile.

Calendar: Presentations & Conferences

December 5, 2006, Lincoln, Nebraska – Dr. Don Wilhite, director of the NDMC, will participate in a legislative water policy briefing sponsored by the Water Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

December 6, 2006, Washington, D.C. – Dr. Don Wilhite, director of the NDMC, will participate in a National Research Council panel discussion during a Workshop on Disasters that is open to the public. It is sponsored by the Division of Earth and Life Studies of the National Research Council of the National Academies. The workshop will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 101 of the Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W. Dr. Wilhite’s session begins at 1 p.m. For more information, please contact Byron Mason, bmason@nas.edu.

December 10-15, 2006, Nebraska – Dr. Vikram Mehta and Dr. Norman Rosenburg from the Center for Research on the Changing Earth System in Columbia, Maryland, will visit the National Drought Mitigation Center. The Center is helping them with a research project that will involve interviewing people who can describe how multi-decadal climate variability is affecting their lives and livelihoods.

December 14, 2006, North Platte, Nebraska – The National Drought Mitigation Center will host a VegDRI listening session at the West Central Research & Extension Center to get feedback from ranchers and natural resource managers. VegDRI is being developed to give ranchers a satellite-based picture of pasture conditions. It can isolate the effects of drought from other factors such as a delayed growing season. The federal paperwork reduction act limits the number of people who can participate, but if you’re interested, please call Meghan Sittler at the NDMC, 402-472-2712, or e-mail msittler2@unl.edu. There are other ways to be involved, and there may be last-minute openings.

© 2006 National Drought Mitigation Center