STAFF EDITORIAL: Drought is a quiet yet severe natural disaster

During a drought there are no homes or buildings decimated, no mass carnage, no TV reporters jockeying for the most heart-wrenching report they can find. There is no mass outpouring of relief from the populace, no candlelight vigils, no mercy from the sun. A drought is often called the silent storm. It's not as destructive as a hurricane or as forceful as a flood or as powerful as a tornado. But a drought is one of the most devastating forces Mother Nature can bring. And for those living throughout the West, which is caught in one of the worst droughts in history, they know very well the sweeping effects it has caused. In fact, the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that drought causes anywhere from $4 to $5 billion in damage a year. But what so many people back east don't realize is how bad it really is. They don't understand that the dried, cracked land will take years to regain its moisture content. They fail to appreciate the awesomeness involved when streams, creeks, rivers and reservoirs run dry. And they can't possibly comprehend how heartbreaking it is to have to sell off a herd, sell a family farm or move away from the only house that was ever known as home. It is because of this disconnect that so many back east are oblivious to the needs of those surviving out west. In reality, the division between lawmakers and those being governed is so vast that despite the push by many regional legislatures - including the entire Nebraska congressional contingent - the need to enact federal aid and relief to those struggling for almost a decade has yet to come into effect. Coincidentally, the $6.5 billion in federal aid and relief was stalled nearly two weeks ago by political infighting and a vote on such aid would probably not occur until after the Nov. 7 elections. However, the need is urgent and many of Nebraska's farmers and ranchers needed help yesterday. The seven-year consequence of very little to no rain and even less snow pack is not something to be taken lightly; it's not something that will be fixed by a weeklong thunderhead or a month of rain. The recovery effort from such destruction will take years, perhaps even a decade, to rebound from such dryness. And it's not good enough that we're all crossing our fingers for rain. It is the duty of every Nebraska citizen to make sure elected officials are keeping the needs of the needy at hand and not just pandering to their political power bosses. It's time they start treating the drought as the natural disaster that it is.