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Drought Impacts

Water is integral in order to produce goods and provide services. The lack of water therefore has an impact on the overall economic situation of a region and the outcomes are far beyond the area experiencing physical drought. Social, environmental, and economical devastations are all directly or indirectly linked to the impact of droughts.

Social impacts might include:

  • Food shortages
  • Loss of human life
  • Public safety from fires
  • Increased illness
  • Increased poverty
  • Decreased life quality
  • Population migration

    Environmental impacts might include:

  • Disturbances of animal wildlife including fish reservoirs
  • Wind and water erosion of soils
  • Disturbances in vegetation
  • Decrease in air and water quality

    Economic impacts might include:

  • Loss of dairy and livestock production
  • Loss of crop production
  • Loss of timber production
  • Loss of fishery production
  • Income losses not only in the agricultural sector
  • Decrease of gross national product and economic growth
  • Increased unemployment
  • Increased demand for monetary assets and increased interest rates
  • Decrease in federal and state income