New figures from the agency show that one in every five days saw flooding in 2012, but one in four days saw drought.

BBC: Science & Environment

Texas' previous drought record was 58 consecutive days without rain, set in 1934 between May and July.

CNN: U.S. pledges help for Texas farmers hit by record drought

Might not sound important, until you realize that our farm production is critically dependent upon stable weather patterns, this year promises to be one of the worst for drought in many areas since the dust bowl days from the Depression.

FORBES: On Romney's 'Rising Oceans', Time To Get A Bigger Boat

To say, then, that in 45 days the world has gone from global-liquidity surplus to drought is to believe that the 25-year boom was a mirage, or else that all its profits were tossed into Miami and Las Vegas construction holes.

FORBES: Liquidity Crisis or Credit Crunch?

Eking out a living is tough, and the vagaries of climate that bring drought or floods can easily wipe away in a few days the gains of many years.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Visions of China: Mengla

Rajasthan, a parched state with a long history of drought-relief works, comes closer to fulfilling that promise than anywhere else, providing 68 days of work on average in the year to March 2008, according to a survey published in Frontline, an Indian newsweekly.

ECONOMIST: Asia