16 March 2006

Sebelius calls Governor’s Drought Response Team into action
Group set to meet this Friday

Concerned about recent grass fires and extremely dry conditions throughout Kansas, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has asked her Drought Response Team to convene this Friday, March 17.

“I’m very concerned with the grass fires Kansas has experienced as of late,” Governor Sebelius said. “Yesterday, 14,000 acres burned in two separate fires in Hodgeman County. A fire Sunday in Meade County burned 15,000 acres, and last week 10,700 acres burned in Butler County. The dry conditions, combined with high winds, can cause grave danger for both our land and our communities,” Sebelius said.

“However,” she continued, “wildfires are not our only problem. Rains over the last couple days in eastern Kansas have helped in some areas, but certainly have not broken the drought. It’s unusual for conditions to be this dry across such a large area of Kansas. Deteriorating crop conditions, and low reservoir levels, are becoming a major concern. Therefore, I’ve asked the Drought Response Team to convene, assess our current situation, and discuss potential actions the state and federal government should take to help deal with these concerns.”

The Governor declared a drought warning for six counties and drought watches for 66 counties last month with Executive Order 06-03. Those remain in effect today.

In 2003, Governor Sebelius created the Governor’s Drought Response Team by Executive Order 03-17. In the executive order signed August 21, 2003, the team was formed “to ensure the State of Kansas responds in timely and appropriate manner to the impacts of drought upon its people, resources, and the environment.”

The team is made up of representatives from the following organizations:

1. Kansas Water Office (Chair)
2. Governor's Office
3. Adjutant General's Department - Division of Emergency Management
4. Kansas Department of Agriculture
5. Kansas Department of Administration
6. Kansas Department of Health and Environment
7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
8. Kansas State Fire Marshal
9. Kansas State Army Corps of Engineers
10. United States Department of Agriculture - Farm Service Agency

The Governor’s Drought Response Team will meet this Friday at 10 a.m., 109 SW 9th Street, Topeka. The meeting, which is open to the press, will be in the 4th floor conference room.

An updated report of drought conditions can be found on the Kansas Water Office web site at www.kwo.org.