Iowa May Declare Emergency in Drought

Iowa’s governor said Tuesday that he might declare a statewide drought emergency, and an Indiana official warned of possible power shortages as generating plants ran low on cooling water.

A hot, muggy air mass hung over the nation’s midsection, and temperatures surpassed or tied records in 20 cities as forecasters urged farmers to take steps to protect their livestock and workers from the heat.

Record-Breaking Temperatures

At Fargo, N. D., a 106-degree reading broke the 1948 record of 97, and a record reading of 105 was reached in Jamestown. Other records included 99 degrees in Flint and Lansing, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio; Ft. Wayne and South Bend, Ind., and 98 degrees in Cincinnati; Louisville, Ky., and St. Cloud, Minn.

Parts of Alabama got some relief from the drought, as drenching rains flooded streets in Tuscaloosa. More than 3 inches of rain fell at Akron, Ala., and more than 2 inches was reported at Moundville.

Barge traffic was halted at Greenville, Miss., where the Mississippi River shipping channel was 7 feet deep, but a dredge was deepening it to 15 feet and the Army Corps of Engineers expected a towboat traffic jam to clear quickly.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said he may issue an emergency declaration unless rainfall is widespread this week, even though federal officials say it is too early to assess drought damage.

“It’s early enough to know it’s a real disaster,” said Branstad, who is carrying his case for emergency aid to Washington this week. “We don’t want to see a lot of farm families forced back into bankruptcy.”

Sen. Dave Durenberger (R-Minn.) said Tuesday that the drought will save the federal government $5.3 billion to $10.85 billion in reduced farm subsidies and that the entire amount should be allocated to rural America.

“The good Lord in effect made the money available by devastating a lot of farmers,” Durenberger said.

Robert D. Glazier of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission said a prolonged drought would leave some power plants with less cooling water and might create environmental problems if too much hot water was pumped back into low streams.

Campers Warned

Dry weather that has spread to the Northeast led to water restrictions and warnings to campers of fires in some areas.

“We haven’t had any appreciable rain in the region since June 17,” said Capt. Ray Wood, a New York state park ranger.

Southwestern Virginia has begun suffering drought conditions, and officials concerned that it was spreading scheduled a meeting for today.