October 17, 2013
Dust Bowl
The Dirty Thirties
You cross dusty roads
Coughing and plugging your nose
The yellow-ish brown haze
Is coming your way
Nowhere to hide
No one to lean beside
You’re all alone
With your aching bones
Beginning in the 1930’s, and causing terror ever since, the Dust Bowl has been one of the worst times in our history. Many farms in the American Great Plains Region were destroyed because of the drought and dust storms. “It was this giant wall coming towards you.” Floyd Coen describes the 2,000 foot high wall of dust during the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a perfect storm of natural disaster that affected thousands of people. "In July of 1934, 80 percent of the country was affected by drought," says Heim. "At its peak the drought went from the West Coast, to the Great Plains, to the Midwest and the East Coast." To repeat, the Dust Bowl was one of the hardest moments to overcome for the people of the American Great Plains during the 1930’s. It covered Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, all the way to Texas.
The Dust Bowl was during a time of misery. Right after suffering the Stock Market crash, it all began in 1930. The dust storms usually lasted, on and off, a year at a time. For example, one started in 1930-1931, and then shortly after another one would start 1932-1933, going on until 1939, close to 1940. One of the worst years was 1934 and 1936. In May of 1934 the dust storms were worse than ever and had covered more than 75% of the country and effecting 27 states severely.
Of course, the unfortunate weather patterns are what caused it all. There was no rain and it was just a dry period of time. It received less than 10 inches of precipitation after several of years, therefore, calling itself a desert. This caused starvation and displaced thousands of people. A lot of people were diagnosed with dust pneumonia especially during the Black Blizzards of the dust bowl. Dust pneumonia is caused when a thick layer of dust settles deep in the lungs and prevents them from functioning properly.
The Dust Bowl brought economical and human misery to America when it was already suffering the Great Depression. But it effected many people and caused great trouble in America. The Dust Bowl finally ended when the United States government started a campaign to limit the damage and educate the local farmers in more sustainable growing practices. Techniques such as planting trees and grasses were helpful in anchoring the soil and greatly reduced the severity of the dust storms. Route 66 was also a main route to flee to different countries, specifically California.
Works Cited~~
"The Dust Bowl: 2012 vs. 1930s." Web blog post. The Weather Channel. N.p., 21 July 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
Coen, Floyd. "Video: Floyd Coen Talks About Dust Storms | Watch The Dust Bowl Online | PBS Video." Video blog post. PBS Video. N.p., 18 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.
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