The Western Governors' Association

Citation

(2000), "The Western Governors' Association", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 9 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2000.07309aag.016

The Western Governors' Association

DROUGHT

The Western Governors' Association

http://www.wesrgov.org

On July 16, 1998, President Clinton signed the National Drought Policy Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-199), creating the National Drought Policy Commission to advise Congress on the creation of an integrated, co-ordinated Federal policy designed to prepare for and respond to serious drought emergencies. The Western Governors' Association had already created the Western Drought Co-ordination Council (WDCC) to deal with this recurrent Western problem and the council recently prepared a report on their experiences - The Western Drought Experience: The Western Drought Co-ordination Council's Report to the National Drought Policy Commission - to assist the national effort. The WDCC concluded that all aspects of drought response needed to be evaluated and updated in order to better integrate preparedness, response, and mitigation programs at all levels of government. Their report notes that the WDCC has developed a work plan that addresses four principal activities: monitoring/assessment/prediction, preparedness and mitigation, response, and communications. Further, it describes the council's past experience in these areas and provides 12 recommendations for national drought policy. To access the report via the Internet, go to the URL above, select "WGA Publications", scroll down to the "Lands and Water" section, and click on the link for the drought report.