Drought Leaves Tenn. Town Dry

Rain brought some relief this week to the Tennessee Valley but a serious drought persisted throughout most the Southeast United States.

The National Weather Service said the exceptional drought area extended from Alabama and northern Georgia into eastern Tennessee and the western Carolinas. While Tropical Storm Noel dropped over an inch of rain along the east coast of the Florida Peninsula, the rains had little impact on the levels of Lake Okeechobee.

The severe dryness has left Orme, Tenn., with only enough water to last residents three hours each day, CNN said Thursday.

The mountain spring that usually supplies water dried up Aug. 1, leaving the town’s 145 residents to rely on water brought in from Alabama. The taps run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.