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All water is gone, the tap water temporarily turned off, and everyone took all the drinks at the store.

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Drought in california

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Alyssa is still anxious on the inside because she is afraid that she won't be able to find her parents.

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A wild fire occurs and the gang's trailer burns down.

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It only gets worse, Alyssa still tries to help her family while Kelton takes a liking to her and defends her from people wielding guns.

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Kelton is still traumatised about how he freaked out towards everyone around him, he even says himself that if Alyssa didn't knock him out he would have done a lot of damage. He's now more confident in himself because he knows now that there is fight within him.

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Alyssa is scared, in common with her family.

When the stranger tries to take the family's water, the uncle comes in and he's very protective over Alyssa. Which shows that not even a lack of water will separate a family.

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"The United Nations estimates that 1.84 billion people worldwide, or nearly a quarter of humanity, were living under drought in 2022 and 2023" (Pg 1)

How can a drought get this bad?

"Rice is acutely vulnerable to the weather, and governments are, in turn, acutely vulnerable to fluctuations in rice prices." (pg 2)

This makes sense because rice is made from water.

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Alyssa continues to try to find a way to get to her parents, but to no avail. She eventually goes through Kelton's backpack and discovers weapons, tools, and more resources to make sure they all survive.

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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The trailer caught fire by a wild fire and Alyssa desperately tries to get to Garett. The gang gets in a car and Kelton crashes it. They walk half of a mile to get around the fire.

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Kelton starts to have feelings for his neighbor Alyssa.

He offers to help her family with the plumbing problems they have. He also gives Alyssa water.

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Key Information - Character Development /Important Events

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Kelton stresses about the new people around him, he's scared of Jacqui because he's deranged, and Henry who probably isn't the person he describes himself as.

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California, Nevada and Arizona submitted their plan to the federal government, which is weighing how to manage the drought-plagued river after 2026, when another historic deal expires. The decision will shape long-term management of a vital water source for 40 million people, including 30 tribal nations and 5.5 million acres of agriculture.

This is very shocking information to me,

"In the new proposal, the three states agreed to collectively cut their water use when  levels dip below 69% capacity, ramping up to at least 1.5 million acre-feet a year below 58% of capacity. That’s about 17% of their total allocations, enough to supply 3.75 million Southern California households for a year."

This is because of the fact they turned off a majority of water accessibility in California, so they can conserve as much water in the river as they can, so people can survive. I can understand why every character in the story is so desperate.

This stood out to me because this type of event never happens commonly, and how scary it can really be.

This all relates to the story because it showcases the fear of the fact that there is little to no water left. Early into the story you see Alyssa and many others frantically try to buy as many water bottles as they can so they can survive, it can be sad and even scary to see people like this. Even scarier that this is all so real.

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Lea esta historia en Español
Bracing for an ever-growing gap between supply and demand of Colorado River water, three Southwestern states today unveiled an agreement that would cut California's portion by about 10% in most years.

California, Nevada and Arizona submitted their plan to the federal government, which is weighing how to manage the drought-plagued river after 2026, when another historic deal expires. The decision will shape long-term management of a vital water source for 40 million people, including 30 tribal nations and 5.5 million acres of agriculture.

For more than a century, the river's water has been allocated among seven states, tribes and Mexico through a collection of deals, acts, treaties and legal decisions known as the Law of the River. But a decades-long mega-drought, culminating in the driest 23-year period in more than a century, has shriveled the river's already over-allocated flows.

Despite recent improvements after storms, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the basin's major reservoirs, remain " historically low, and long-term conservation measures will still be necessary," the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reported Tuesday.

California takes the biggest share of Colorado River water, with a yearly allocation of 4.4 million acre-feet. And Imperial Valley growers are, by far, California's biggest user - allocated 3.1 million acre-feet a year, or more than two-thirds of the state's supply, to irrigate half a million acres of alfalfa, winter vegetables and other crops via the Imperial Irrigation District.

The Metropolitan Water District, which provides water for 19 million Southern Californians, is another large user, typically receiving about 1 million acre-feet every year, according to Bill Hasencamp, the district's manager of Colorado River resources. (An acre-foot is enough to supply three Southern California households for a year.)

"It's a big change that we will have to adapt to as a state," Hasencamp said, adding "it's 10%, so we should be able to tighten up our belt 10%."

In the new proposal, the three states agreed to collectively cut their water use when levels dip below 69% capacity, ramping up to at least 1.5 million acre-feet a year below 58% of capacity. That's about 17% of their total allocations, enough to supply 3.75 million Southern California households for a year. Over the past ten years, the reservoirs have largely stayed below that threshold. If the system dips lower than 38% of capacity, any additional cuts up to 3.9 million acre-feet would be shared equally between the Upper and Lower Basin states.

Arizonawould shoulder much of the burden by cutting use about 27% in most years. Nevada would cut back by about 17%, and Mexico - if it agrees - by 250,000 acre-feet, or about 17% of the 1.5 million acre-feet it's entitled to under an agreement with the U.S.

The three states also proposed a new way to trigger the cuts - based on seven reservoirs across the basin, not just Lake Mead, Hasencamp said.

John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said at a briefing today that the aim is to avoid suspicions of states manipulating the system. Withdrawing water from Lake Mead or holding it in Upper Basin reservoirs could result in massive changes in water releases.

The current system "has led to a number of conflicts between the states since it was implemented in 2007 because literally one foot of elevation difference in Lake Mead or Lake Powell can result in more or less water being released," Entsminger said. "There were constant suspicions about states gaming the system, being able to manipulate those elevations. And we believe what we are presenting today will remove the ability for this, any even suspicion."

"It's a big change that we will have to adapt to as a state. It's 10%, so we should be able to tighten up our belt 10%."
Bill Hasencamp, Metropolitan Water district

California, with its senior rights to Colorado River water, has long been sheltered from mandatory conservation during droughts. A drought contingency plan finalized in 2019 allowed for cuts to California's deliveries for the first time, but they have never been triggered, according to Hasencamp. Desperate for additional reductions during the most recent drought, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation called for cuts beyond those required by the existing agreements.

All seven basin states had been working together - Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the Upper Basin, and Arizona, California and Nevada in the Lower. But negotiations fell apart.

Now the upper and lower states are at odds, with each submitting its own competing plan to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The agency's draft assessment of its possible approaches is expected in December.

"Ideally, the seven states would be able to come to a degree of compromise like the three Lower Basin states have. And we hope that occurs. But that requires a spirit of collaboration and compromise by all seven states... We've not been experiencing that lately," said J.B. Hamby, the state's chief negotiator as chairman of the Colorado River Board of California, and also vice president of Imperial Irrigation District's board of directors.

"Those are pretty draconian scenarios that the Upper Basin states are suggesting, which would mean real devastation to Southern California, and trickle up throughout the rest of the state."
J.B. Hamby, Colorado River Board of California

The Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming submitted a more aggressive plan for California, Arizona and Nevada that requires cuts starting when major reservoir levels reach 90%, ramping up to cuts of 1.5 million acre feet when levels hit 70%, and up to 3.9 million acre feet if they dip below 20%.

"We can no longer accept the status quo of Colorado River operations," Becky Mitchell, Colorado's Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission, said in a statement. "If we want to protect the system and ensure certainty for the 40 million people who rely on this water source, then we need to address the existing imbalance between supply and demand."

But Hamby said this would place too much of a burden on California and the other Lower Basin states and goes far beyond what they propose in their own plan.

"Those are pretty draconian scenarios that the Upper Basin states are suggesting, which would mean real devastation to Southern California, and trickle up throughout the rest of the state," Hamby said.

Even though Arizona, Nevada and California agreed to how much each state would cut, their plan has no details about how much each water user, such as the Imperial Valley Irrigation District, would have to forego, or whether they would be compensated.

"The first stage here is just figuring out how do we make this happen within the Lower Basin. The next step is how do you make this happen within each individual state at the user level," Hamby said. "And then a later phase is figuring out okay, what are the resources necessary to materialize all this?"

Under the Lower Basin plan, no reductions would be required in California, Arizona and Nevada if the system reaches 69% capacity. Over the past 20 years, levels have never climbed that high. Even after a wet 2023, major reservoirs are only at 43% capacity; this time last year, they were at 32%.

Mark Gold, director of water scarcity solutions with the Natural Resources Defense Council, had criticized previous, short-term agreements as insufficient to protect the river's water against the ravages of climate change.

This time, he said the "Lower Basin states' proposal includes meaningful cuts that could lead to sustainable management of the Colorado River basin."

While it won't be enough on its own, he said, it's a start. The key, he said, will be getting federal agencies and the Upper Basin states on board, and tackling massive evaporation losses from desert reservoirs. He said those losses should be subtracted from each state's claim on the river.

Last May, California, Arizona and Nevada agreed to a historic plan to conserve 3 million acre-feet through 2026. The federal government has been paying water users for much of this conservation. The Biden administration announced yesterday that it has paid users about $670.2 million "and will secure more than 1.58 million acre-feet of water conservation in the Basin through 2026."

In October, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that the states' short-term conservation efforts - plus recent abundant rain and snow - staved off an immediate threat to water supplies and power production, a conclusion it finalized yesterday. Yet the agency stressed the need for long-term action.

"Despite near-continuous drought-response actions in recent years, low-reservoir conditions have persisted and new infrastructure risks at Glen Canyon Dam have arisen," the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation wrote last October. "More robust and adaptive guidelines are needed."

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California agrees to long-term cuts of Colorado River water

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California, Arizona and Nevada would cut 20% when reservoir levels drop. But other states have more aggressive plans. The federal govenrment will decide.

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1. Loved reading since childhood

2. Worked as an assistant at the Irvin Arthur Associates

3. Received numerous honors for his books

4. Shusterman has also written for TV, including the Original Disney Channel movie Pixel Perfect, as well as episodes of Goosebumps and Animorphs.

5. He has written for R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series and is also adapting his novel Challenger Deep for 20th Century Fox.

6. Fellow author Orson Scott Card invited Shusterman to write novels parallel to Ender's Game about other characters from the series, but schedules didn't permit it

7. raised in Brooklyn, New York City

8. born on November 12, 1962

9. Shusterman had his first book deal and a screenwriting job

10. served as a judge for the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship in 2012.

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"'Garrett, I have a mission for you." "A mission?" Garrett is instantly interested. "I need you to ask Kelton what chess boxing is." He looks at me, confused. "I don't want to know what chess boxing is." "It doesn't matter I need you to have Kelton show you."' (153)

This quote shows how even in scary situations like this, you can still make things wholesome and light hearted.

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"I kneel beside him. I lift the cup to his lips. I pour a little in. What if he doesn't swallow? What if he can't swallow? Because he's already dead?" (352)

This quote shows how wild fires can cause pain, misery, anxiety, confusion, and so much more. It's even more painful when someone you care about dies from it.

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"Just before dawn this morning, when it came to fight or flight, my body finally chose fight. When it's flight, you're giving in to an even stronger one. I would have done some heavy damage if Alyssa hadn't knocked me out. At least now I'm filled with confidence that the fight function exists within me. And maybe now that I know what it is, and what it feels like, perhaps I can start to control this power." (253)

This shows me that Kelton is starting to develop into more of a fighter due to his trauma of losing his brother, this can be scary, but now the group might be able to withstand anymore threats from very desperate people.

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“Everyone’s going to remember where they were when the taps went dry, I think. Like when a president is assassinated.” (6)

I definitely agree with this statement because it really shows the gravity of this situation. It can be very impactful to not have any water for a long period of time, possibly traumatic.

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Time Period:

This happened in 2022-2023.

Place:/Location

This took place in California.

Environment:

Dry, rocky, very lacking of water.

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last year AT&T filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission to allow AT&T to offer basic phone services to people who request them, thus temporarily disconnecting the line for a short period of time.

This is shocking to me,

“'What AT&T is seeking is really, really profound,” said Regina Costa, a telecommunications policy director for The Utility Reform Network. “By removing that obligation, that means there is no one that can guarantee service for a customer.”'

This information is shocking to me because of the fact if you lived in California at this time and didn't know how or didn't have the resources to sign up to have this phone service, you had no phone service.

This stands out to me because it makes me mad that a phone company and that state agreed to do that to their people, majority of people suffered because of this decision.

This relates to the story because of the fact Alyssa rode on the same boat as the majority of other people who had no resources to use this phone service, she couldn't reach out to find her parents that easily because of that.

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An effort by AT&T to pull out of its obligations to offer landline services across a huge swath of California - including most of the Bay Area - has raised impassioned safety concerns among residents worried about what might happen if they lose access to their traditional wired phone lines, especially in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.

As the designated "carrier of last resort" in California, the telecommunications giant has long been required to provide basic phone services to people who want them, as required by state law. Such services are cheap, ubiquitous and heavily regulated.

But now, the company wants out.

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Last year, AT&T filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission to shed its obligation to offer basic phone services to people who request them. After a series of public meetings through the spring, the PUC is expected to make a decision on AT&T's request in September.

Spokespersons for AT&T said they planned to transition the "few remaining consumers with traditional copper-based phone service" to newer technologies from them - or other phone service providers.

But if the company's proposal is granted, AT&T wouldn't legally have to. If the PUC approves AT&T's request, the company would no longer be obligated to provide landline services to Californians who say they need them. Millions of people could be affected and lose access within six months, according to the application, if the PUC grants the company's request.

Being forced to offer what AT&T called "obsolete" telephone technology was sapping resources the company would prefer to devote to expanding "its state-of-the-art broadband network," AT&T said in its application to the PUC.

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Spokespersons for AT&T said less than 7% of households in their California territory are using copper-based landline phone services, and that the company is investing in newer technologies such as fiber and wireless.

"At least one telephone company in a specified area is legally required to provide access to telephone service to anyone in its service territory who requests it," state agency officials wrote in a summary of AT&T's petition to cease offering landline services. The agency will be expected to make a decision on the request in September after a series of public hearings on the application.

AT&T has argued that its proposal should be granted even if there is no other carrier of last resort.

"Other outcomes are possible, such as another carrier besides AT&T volunteering to become the Carrier of Last Resort in your area, or the (agency) denying AT&T's proposal," PUC officials wrote.

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In addition, AT&T is also requesting to stop providing federally subsidized, low-income phone services. For that to be granted, AT&T must demonstrate that another company can provide the services it currently offers. Telecommunications policy advocates say they don't think that's possible because the only options to replace AT&T are cell phone services, and they are notoriously unreliable.

Getting rid of landlines, many Bay Area residents said, would be life-threatening for those who rely on them for medical or emergency needs.

The impacts could be devastating for those especially in rural areas where cell service is spotty or nonexistent, advocates said. As of early February, nearly 3,000 people across California submitted comments to the commission raising concerns about AT&T's proposal, many of whom said they were disabled, older, or live in areas where landline service is crucial.

San Francisco resident Bella Rubin is one of many residents who said they rely on AT&T's landline services for dire medical needs. Rubin, who is in her 80s, said that after her husband's heart condition worsened, he began using a machine that transmits signals from his defibrillator to UCSF's cardiology department - and it's only by landline.

"When the internet is down or electric outages have occurred, the transmission has blown," Rubin said. "The AT&T landline is a medical necessity."

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"What AT&T is seeking is really, really profound," said Regina Costa, telecommunications policy director for The Utility Reform Network. "By removing that obligation, that means there is no one that can guarantee service for a customer."

In San Francisco alone, 34% of households utilize a landline, and almost half of householders 55 and older use a landline, according to researchers at Hire A Helper, a moving company that analyzed recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Nicole Torres, COO of On Lok - a nonprofit senior services provider in San Francisco - voiced her concerns about the potential loss of landlines across the state.

"Disconnecting landlines could leave some of our vulnerable senior population isolated, unable to reach loved ones, access emergency services, or address critical needs," said Torres, adding that many frail and isolated seniors do not use cellphones. "During power outages or disasters, landlines can be their lifelines for communication and help."

Thousands of households in cities including San Rafael, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Fremont and Santa Rosa - and many more - could be affected, according to the PUC.

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San Francisco resident Sandra Lipkowitz, who lives alone and has no immediate family, said she has felt devastated and helpless since hearing about the proposal.

"If electricity goes out, I have no way to contact anyone," Lipkowitz said, calling the proposal corporate greed. "It just feels like we're being thrown to the side ... because we're the most vulnerable and the big corporation doesn't care."

For Lipkowitz, AT&T's petition to end landline services has evoked the terror of living through the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the fires that followed. The Bay Area households and businesses that lost power for days after a stronger-than-forecast bomb cyclone this month ripped through California reinforced those concerns, she said.

"There are people who maybe haven't experienced not having electricity or didn't live through the fires," she said. "With climate change right now - and way more rains and fires, there are way more times when electricity is going to go out."

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Millions in California could lose their AT&T landlines. Here's why

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AT&T wants to pull out of its long-standing obligation to offer landline services to millions of Californians and hundreds of thousands in the Bay Area.

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During a drought, plants are unable to soak up any water, in result, the plant can't be nourished. This also increases the amount of dead and dry vegetation. This vegetation becomes fuel for wildfires. Droughts also cause water sources to dry up, making it more difficult to extinguish wildfires. When water sources are scarce, fire crews must bring in water from other areas, which is expensive and time-wasting.

"Drought directly impacts the speed and behavior of wildfires because dry vegetation causes fires to spread more quickly and become more intense. There is also an increase in lightning strikes during drought conditions which can start wildfires."

This information shocks me because of the fact that these kind of things can happen. I always wonder how and why these type of things happen.

This stands out to me because this doesn't happen in any other type of climate, it's scary.

This relates to the story because of the fact a wildfire burnt down the gang's RV.

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The Impact of Drought on Wildfire Risk | WFCA

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Delve into the profound impact of drought on wildfire risk, and how our overall outlook is changing as a result of climate change with expert guidance from the WFCA.

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The drought in California and Nevada is a common occurrence that can last for multiple years. The regional climate is characterized by a distinct dry season (approximately May to September) and wet season (approximately October to April) defined by a few large precipitation events, though additional peaks in precipitation can occur.

This information shocks me,

"Topography within the region creates a diverse set of climate conditions, from the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada Range to the Mojave Desert, to the mountains and valleys of the Basin and Range." This is because I never knew that California and really that whole area varies that much in climate. I always pictured California to be more of a desert.

This piece of information stands out to me because of how surprising that stems away from the stereo-typical climate of California. Which is normally a completely dry desert.

This all relates to the story because the characters in the story deal with this drought, which is a result of climate change.

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Skip to main content

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

California Drought Resources

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Current state-level drought information for California: .

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Climate and weather have been linked to criminal activity. The connection between climate type conditions and how the crime rate in California has slightly increased during the drought. This article describes the mechanisms theorized to link annual variations in climate to crime in California and analyzes the effect of drought on statewide crime rates from 2011-2015.

"We used a synthetic control method to estimate the impact of California's drought on both property and violent crimes. We found a significant increase in property crimes during the drought, but no effect on violent crimes. This result was robust to several sensitivity analyses, including a negative control."

This information shocks me because of the fact that there was little to no violent crimes which I was expecting because people can get desperate if it means keeping themselves alive.

This all stands out to me because it confuses me on why people are committing property crimes rather than actual violence, I mean it's a good thing that people aren't getting hurt but it just surprises me that the book got that part wrong.

This all relates to the story because of the fact that even though the violence isn't toward people, it's being directed toward property. I would say that this could change in the future but California just declared itself drought free this week so that's good that no one actually got hurt.

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“I go downstairs to tell Mom and Dad, bracing for the worst—but they don’t get angry. Which, I soon realize, is much worse than if they had” (56)

This shows that because of this scary event, not even she is the only one that's scared, even her parents are.

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Why can it be so terrifying to lose all water?

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What is another possible way Alyssa can find a way back to her parents?

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How is it possible for a climate to get so hot fires start randomly popping up?

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How is climate change physically able to vary in so many different ways?

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How can trauma turn someone so violent so quickly?

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Choices, Decisions.

"And although it's not our water to give, sometimes doing the right thing means doing the wrong thing first." (153)

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Desperation.

"Garrett!, Garrett, I'm here. I kneel beside him. I lift the cup to his lips. I pour a little in. What if he doesn't swallow? What if he can't swallow? Because he's already dead?" (352)

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Bravery.

"I didn't want to have to pull out my gun, but the second that creep got too close to Alyssa, it's like some protective instinct kicked in" (117)

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Big Ideas (discrimination, justice, mental health, etc.)

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Kindness, Redemption.

"And she grins, knowing that I mean it as a compliment-- something I'm not sure she's used to getting." (261)