DROUGHT IN THE BALKANS

 

Associated Press reported:  "Under a blazing Balkan sun, Elena Matei hoes the parched earth around stunted ears of corn, easing out weeds struggling for the same traces of moisture.  There hasn't been a drop of rain for two months, the longest drought she has seen in more than 30 years of working the fields in near Draganesti-Vlasca, 37 miles southwest of Bucharest.  'If it goes on like this, the crop will be ruined, my animals will die and so will we,' the 57-year old farmer said.  Across the Balkans, weeks of temperatures as high as 102 Fahrenheit have blanched and stunted wheat crops and driven already impoverished farmers to deeper despair.  Even coastal areas are suffering from the worst dry spell in decades.  Governments are scrambling to combat the drought with irrigation.  Orthodox priests are pointing fingers at the faithless..."