Historically, scientist believe that droughts last twenty to thirty years. In the case of the Yavapai county, the drought has been happening since 1998. However, the severity of the drought has varied over the years. Even though, Yavapai County receives precipitation and rainfall it is not enough to help sustain the community, vegetation, and livestock. In fact, the Director of the Arizona Division of Emergency Management, Wendy Smith-Reeve, believes that the county needs three years of above average rainfall to overcome the drought.
In 1999, the Federal government declared Yavapai county an official drought disaster area. The percentage of precipitation of three years of above average rainfall determines how severe the drought is. During this period, farmers struggle to live and provide the basic necessities for their families. The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program will give loans to the farmers and ranches. Arizona Governor, Jane Buran, stated, “This opportunity will be important for the farmer because of the significant land damage and agricultural land lossage.”
This helped because the farmers could use the money to live. The valleys in the upper part of Yavapai depend solely on rain for their crops. The higher elevated areas in the county make it harder for farmers to use irrigation. The farmers that do not use irrigation harvest 0.68% of their crops. However, the farmers that use irrigation harvest 100%. Without irrigation, farmers are constantly worried about the climate and their survival.
From 2002 to 2010, there were sixteen natural disaster ranging from floods, to fires. Due to the drought, the land became dry. As a result, fires began to spread more easily because the land was dead. Therefore, when rainfall did come, there was nothing to absorb the water causing flash floods. Eight of the sixteen natural disasters in the time period were floods. The number of natural disasters in Yavapai County is greater than the average of those in the United States.
As the disasters increased, the number of houses sold also increased. In 2012, there were 2500 houses sold more than in 2011. Prior to 2012, there were not much of a variation and change to the number of houses sold. This is important because the drought and disasters have changed the community living in the area. This impacts the economy. After 2012, there has been a decline of houses sold.
Since last summer, there has been an increase in rainfall. Scientists predict that this spring there will be an increase of rainfall and end the drought. It has been 15 years since the drought began. David Fimeral, weather researcher, says, that Arizona is going to have an above average rainfall because of El Niño. However, it is not enough. Until the state has three years of above average rainfall, the drought will remain.