ABSTRACT
Some would argue that drought cannot be ‘‘managed.’’ Yes, it is true droughts are a normal part of climate for virtually all areas of the world (e.g., Fig. 1), and that droughts affect more people worldwide than any other natural hazard.[1] It is also true that officials from both developing and developed nations struggle to deal with the wide range of economic, environmental, and social impacts related to droughts. However, these officials are not powerless to reduce the impacts of drought. Rather, there are important management actions that officials at local, regional, and national levels can take to reduce the impacts from droughts. The approach taken to address drought impacts and reduce their effects is called drought management, or perhaps more appropriately, drought risk management. The long-term goal is to reduce the impacts of drought through the adoption of drought preparedness plans.
