How to Survive a Drought

Lack of rain devastates communities. Drought conditions are defined as 75 percent or less average yearly rainfall. When this happens it causes crops to fail and livestock to suffer. Droughts are often predicted with a level of certainty, but surviving a drought is crucial to the economy of a farm, community or region. Survive a drought using these methods of water conservation.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Plan for the drought. Develop a strategy to use when a drought occurs. Read an almanac that predicts future conditions based on tracking rainfall from past seasons. Measure the rainfall during the year to determine a course of action for the likelihood of drought conditions.
2. Make or purchase rain barrels and cisterns. Divert water to create an irrigation system. Use this system to collect and redirect water for people, plants and livestock. Dig a well or tap into ground water as a new source of water.
3. Consider the impact of a drought on livestock. Sell livestock to market when a drought happens to thin out the herd. Recover by adding stocker or breeders to a mix of animals to reproduce new livestock.
4. Recycle milk jugs or plastic bottles to create a watering system. Fill the containers with water and poke small holes into them with a pin or ice pick. Place the bottles in the ground within the circumference of the plant. Let the water saturate plant's root system.
5. Preserve water for plants, trees and shrubs. Bed down plants for the winter with organic mulch to preserve moisture. Leave grass clippings where they fall after mowing lawn. Water plants in the morning only.
6. Conserve water in your household by putting a 12 to 20 ounce plastic bottle in a toilet tank to displace water that fills for waster disposal. Buy bottled water and store it. Be sure to rotate the stored water so it does not go bad.
7. Prevent unnecessary waste of water during a drought by timing showers to 5 minutes. Don't take baths or do so sparingly. Don't leave the water running when rinsing dishes, shaving or brushing your teeth. Fill a cup with water for brushing teeth. Stop up the basin and fill with water for shaving.
8. Fill a basin and hand wash 1 or 2 items of clothing at a time. Only wash full loads of laundry in the washing machine.