gracefromspace offered such a strong message, that these extremes can now hit anywhere. Last summer we had four months without rain over our own summer , the difference being our location did not have the high temperatures that is are reached elsewhere so it was not as severe . We are simply not generally prepared nor do we have species of plants acclimated for drought . Extreme weather is only one aspect of course but thank you for starting this thread grace, it is going to be a world wide problem .

Thank you GM1 and Syn. We are now into our 5th month of drought in our area, while some other parts of the country are now receiving good rainfall. We have received so little that it hasn't made much difference for us. Syn, you hit the nail on the head - I'm not sure how to put it any more plainly than I have to date, but it seems no matter what or how much prepping you may have done for whatever your personal thoughts or reasons, drought is one that caught us out big time and needs to be seriously considered by all. We thought we had ample water supply from the rainwater tanks and farm streams, a good setup of vegetable, herb, and fruit supplies through the gardens, seeds stored away for "that day". No such thing! Without a consistent water supply through general, even regular light rainfall, and intense heat, many of our plans came unstuck and need to be carefully revised. Most plants and crops did not survive the heat & hot winds with it, we lost all but a few that struggled through. I have pretty much lost my entire years' income because I grow organics for our own food, and sell the seed from harvests on to other gardeners throughout the year. My husband does repair and maintenance work mostly for farmers and the rural community, which of course has dropped dramatically. It has reached and affected all industries and businesses that have any reliance on farming, agriculture, electricity, water, forestry.....and on and on it goes. The economy will take a massive hit over the next few months and I would expect the flow on effects to be very far reaching for quite some time, probably take years to recover.

Our new stage of planning is aquaponics with a solar powered system as this seems to be the best option for growing under these circumstances. It uses the least amount of water and can be operated under cover. The key to coping with it? ....make changes now and adapt.

Very wise advice, Grace! It is important to recognise what needs "modifying" within your own personal infrastructure even when you are under intense personal or emotional stress. Learn from other people on this forum, learn from other cultures (where they do more with less), identify the "must haves" to improve your own situation (ie educate yourself in useful & useable skills, practice your new skills, use those tools that you've stashed away) and don't stop thinking outside the square. There have always been things that challenged us (think about the tough times in your life)and if you can put aside the negative feelings (that we all suffer from in extremely hard times) and get on with the job then you will be better prepared for whatever may come. I believe we are all survivors - we wouldn't be preppers if we weren't!