The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
This morning, in the White House Situation Room, the President -- along with several governors and members of his Cabinet -- received a briefing on drought and wildfire preparedness. Take a look at the briefing, and the numbers behind it.
This morning, in the White House Situation Room, the President -- along with several governors and members of his Cabinet -- received a briefing on drought and wildfire preparedness.
We wanted to make sure you saw what he saw, too. Take a look at the briefing the President received this morning here:
We've pulled together some of the key numbers you need to know in order to fully get your head around the drought currently underway across the American West.
Take a look, and if you don't think enough people know about this (and you'd be right), pass it on.
35%
Portion of the American West that's facing severe to exceptional drought right now. Read more about the effects of climate change here.
18,000
Number of California jobs lost because of drought, according to a recent University of California Davis study.
$2.7 billion
Total expected economic cost of drought in 2015 -- in the state of California alone.
> 300%
How much more rainfall than average would be needed to end the drought in three months in various regions across the American West.
Slightly > zero
Height of the mountain snowpack that supplies most of California's water during the summer months.
> $110 million
The investments and new actions the Administration is taking to support workers, farmers, and rural communities suffering from drought, and to combat wildfires. Read more about what that looks like here.
760
Number of summer food service meal sites that the USDA Food and Nutrition Service has committed to establishing in California's drought-impacted Central Valley this summer.
8
Number of western state governors who joined the President via teleconference for today's drought briefing -- representing California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Arizona.
$1.2 billion
Projected amount in assistance the Department of Agriculture will provide to livestock producers facing grazing losses as a result of drought across the West. This program was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill, which you can read more about here.
