New Southeast Drought Photos, Video

The Southeast drought continues, despite rainfall there a couple of weeks ago, still being labeled as "Exceptional" in many areas by the official government maps (as of last Thursday), which predict the drought will persist through January.

Here are a couple of photos taken in Santee, SC by sgcromer on the AccuWeather.com Weather Photo Gallery, who says "Lack of rain in south carolina as caused the upper santee swamp to be dry. It's 6 - 8 foot low. We are praying for rain." The photos show a dry creekbed and nearly-dry swamp.

Here's a video from our affiliate WGCL in Atlanta, Georgia, showing aerial video of the low levels at Lake Lanier.

The start of another week and more than seven million people get closer to running out of clean drinking water. Georgia officials once again took readings Monday (11/12) at Atlanta's major reservoir and this week's readings are a much lower that last Monday. Last week the US Army Corps of Engineers reported Lake Lanier was at a 20 year low, at 15 foot below full. The Corps continues to think the lake could hit its lowest point ever, 21 feet below normal, sometimes later this month.

Here are a couple of Associated Press photos from Lakes Lanier and Allatoona in Georgia:

Praying for Rain - Nov. 11, 2007 - Boats are docked at Aqualand Marina near the dry lake bed of Lake Lanier in Flowery Branch, Ga., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. As Georgia descends deeper into drought, Gov. Sonny Perdue has ordered water restrictions, launched a legal battle and even asked President Bush for emergency aid. Today, he will join state lawmakers and a few ministers at the state Capitol to ask God for rain. (AP Photo/ John Bazemore)

A buoy and several docks are left high and dry in Lake Allatoona in Acworth, Ga., in this Nov. 2, 2007. Much of the south is suffering from a level four drought. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)