RI's drought worsens. Here's what Sen. Jack Reed is asking for to help farmers
PROVIDENCE – With a severe drought in nearly a third of Rhode Island, help for farmers should soon be on the way. The U.S. Drought Monitor has upgr...
PROVIDENCE – With a severe drought in nearly a third of Rhode Island, help for farmers should soon be on the way. The U.S. Drought Monitor has upgraded drought conditions from serious to severe along state's the southern coast, Aquidneck Island and most of East Bay. The rest of the state remains in the less worrisome classification. The severe drought classification triggers disaster relief from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is expected to announce a disaster declaration shortly. Even though only parts of the state are in a severe drought, the disaster designation would apply to the entire state, according to Ken Ayars, chief of the state Division of Agriculture with the Department of Environmental Management.