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[00:00.04]A drought is endangering communities in the Amazon,

[00:05.04]a large rainforest in South America.

[00:09.48]Public officials in Brazil

[00:11.84]are attempting to transport food and water

[00:15.48]to thousands of distant communities.

[00:19.84]The situation is more complex

[00:22.72]as the area has few roads.

[00:26.48]Boats are the main transportation to these communities.

[00:31.68]Across the huge Amazonas state

[00:34.76]59 out of its 62 municipalities

[00:39.00]are under a state of emergency.

[00:42.72]About 633,000 people are affected.

[00:48.32]In the capital Manaus,

[00:50.44]the large Negro river is at its lowest level since

[00:54.88]official measurements began 121 years ago.

[01:00.92]The Negro flows into the Amazon River.

[01:04.84]The city of Careiro da Varzea is in great need.

[01:10.92]It lies by the Amazon River not far from Manaus.

[01:16.96]Recently, the municipality gave out emergency supplies.

[01:23.16]The city used a boat that normally transports farm animals.

[01:29.40]The Associated Press joined on

[01:32.04]transport operations to two communities.

[01:36.40]Each family received a basic food supply

[01:40.16]and 20 liters of water.

[01:43.60]It was enough for just a few days,

[01:46.56]but difficult to carry in the heat.

[01:50.56]"I will have to carry the food package on my back

[01:54.00]for half an hour," Moisés Batista de Souza told the AP.

[02:01.48]He owns a small farm in Sao Lazaro community.

[02:06.56]He said the biggest problem is getting drinkable water.

[02:11.84]He has to walk a long way for that, he says.

[02:15.80]"Everybody in Careiro da Varzea

[02:19.28]has been affected by the drought," said Jean Costa de Souza.

[02:24.80]He is chief of Civil Defense of Careiro da Varzea,

[02:29.88]a municipality of 19,600 people.

[02:35.32]Most of them live in rural areas.

[02:38.96]"Unfortunately, people don't have water.

[02:43.08]Some lost their crops,

[02:45.04]while others couldn't transport their output," he said.

[02:50.04]Costa de Souza reported also that the municipality

[02:54.96]will complete the first transports

[02:57.48]to all rural communities next week.

[03:01.60]The local government is now planning two more transports.

[03:06.52]They are waiting for state and federal aid.

[03:10.16]Periods of dry weather

[03:12.32]are part of the Amazon's usual weather pattern.

[03:16.80]Lighter rainfall happens from May to October

[03:20.48]for most of the rainforest.

[03:23.84]This year's dry season is longer

[03:26.44]because of two different weather events:

[03:29.36]the warming of northern

[03:31.08]Equatorial Atlantic Ocean waters and El Nino.

[03:36.56]El Nino is the warming of surface waters

[03:39.92]in the Equatorial Pacific area.

[03:43.48]It will be at its strongest point

[03:45.60]between December and January.

[03:49.20]I'm Gregory Stachel.

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Words in This Story

drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

unfortunately – n. in a regrettable, unlucky, or unsuitable manner

municipality – n. a city or town that has its own government to deal with local problems

pattern – n. the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done

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