Cesar Serpa
6/23/13
Per. 2

Surviving the dust bowl essay Surviving the Dust Bowls is the frightening story about the drought that lasted for almost a decade and its impact on the life of the thousands of the people who were affected by it. Before the 1930s, farmers flocked to the Southern States as they were attracted by the vast tracts of land that were more than suitable for farming. The land was so rich that migration continued to the Southern States. Thinking that the blessings of the soil will never end, the farmers continued to plow the land neglecting its potential disastrous impact on the environment. In search for economic prosperity, Farmers took advantage of the vast tracts of land by plowing millions of acres of land even the grassland. Suddenly, the unexpected thing happened. The rains stopped all of a sudden. Crops slowly withered and died. Because there was no rain, the rich topsoil slowly became dust. Dust storms became more often as the wind started to blow the land heavily. Slowly, dust started to surround the towns.

The people did everything they could to escape the cloud of dust that surrounded them. Bed sheets and blankets were placed over the windows in an effort to protect them from the dust. Windows were covered with tapes. Yet there was no escape from the dust which entered through the cracks in the houses and any other open space. The impact of the cloud of dust on the livestock was disastrous as animals started to die on the fields with two inches of dirt found in their stomach. The health of individuals started to deteriorate leading to a new sickness called the dust pneumonia.
Consequently, many farmers started to leave the town. However, in the midst of the years of suffering, many farmers did not give up. The human spirit fought back as the people battled the dust. Though the move highlighted the power of the human spirit and its capacity to endure hardship, those