Georgia Declares State of Emergency

Georgia declared a state of emergency this weekend, prompted by an already historic drought that shows no signs of letting up.

Entering the normally dry season, Georgia is among several states in the Southeast that has received only a tiny fraction of the normal rain expected during the spring and summer.

The emergency declaration covers nearly half the state.

Last week, Gov. Sonny Perdue sought an injunction against the Army Corps of Engineers, in an attempt to hold more water back in Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water supply. The injunction is only the latest front in the so-called Tri-State Water War, which pits Florida, Georgia and Alabama against each other, vying for water from the same river.

The drought's heart is in Alabama, but its fingers reach as far as the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Fully one quarter of the south is classified as the most severe category of drought.

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