Drought Disaster In Marshall Islands
President Obama聽issues declaration allowing聽FEMA聽to provide emergency relief to the archipelago.
Presiden Barack Obama has declared a state of聽disaster in the聽Marshall Islands, as the nation suffers its worst-ever drought.
“The disaster declaration, which follows a request from Marshallese president Hilda Heine on 1 April, will allow the聽Federal Emergency Management Agency聽to provide emergency relief to the archipelago, which is suffering one of its worst-ever droughts,” .
Water is being “carefully distributed,” with residents in the capital of Majuro “given an allocation once a week for a four-hour period.”
The Marshalls rely on聽consistent rainfall for its water supply, but聽strong El Ni帽o聽conditions have led to severe drought conditions.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is one of three Micronesian nations party to a treaty with the U.S. that allows for easy immigration to America, especially Hawaii.
As Civil Beat has reported, global warming is a serious threat to the survival聽of the Compact of Free Association nations and could lead to a mass exodus.
The Marshalls were one of the most vocal nations calling for a 1.5 celsius limit to the global temperature increase at the Paris climate talks last year.
