| Background |  |
| Background | |
New Mexico has suffered periods of drought since prehistoric times and the collapse of many early civilizations in New Mexico can be traced to periods of extended drought. Since the turn of the century, periods of drought have devastated the state, particularly during 1900-1910, 1932-1937, 1945-1956, and 1974-1977. The last short duration drought that affected New Mexico occurred during 1996 and prompted the state to prepare a Drought Emergency Plan for New Mexico. This Plan expands and replaces that document. The overarching goal of this plan is to protect natural resources and the economic base in New Mexico by minimizing vulnerability to drought.
While drought cannot be prevented, the effects in many cases can be minimized or avoided altogether. For example, reduce vulnerability to drought-caused fires can be reduced by improving overall forest health. By improving and maintaining water systems pumping failures can be avoided. In addition, the impact of drought can be lessened by establishing and implementing contingency plans (e.g., predetermined water conservation measures or designating alternative emergency water supplies). That is why, in an effort to be more proactive and anticipate the effects of drought, New Mexico initiated a planning effort in 1998. This effort develops a comprehensive drought plan that will not only address drought response but also try to address foreseeable problems in advance of drought. To emphasize the need for New Mexico to have a proactive approach to drought planning, Governor Gary Johnson signed Executive Order 98-41 (See Section 12) on October 11, 1998 directing all New Mexico cabinet and department heads to support drought management and preparedness in New Mexico by emphasizing actions for drought monitoring, assessment, preparedness, mitigation and assistance.
During development of this plan, numerous drought plans from other states were reviewed and interviews were conducted with drought planners and individuals who have survived previous periods of drought in New Mexico. These analyses revealed that many drought plans provide "triggering" mechanisms or thresholds that were intended to initiate specific actions by various agencies, however, often when these thresholds were reached or exceeded, the prescribed response was rarely implemented in a timely or effective manner. The responsibility for the failure of drought plans to achieve identified goals lies less with the plan than with the decision makers who lacked the resolve to implement elements of the plan. By using an integrated approach to drought planning New Mexico’s Drought Plan will serve as a viable, flexible tool to mitigate and respond to the problems of drought on the State of New Mexico.