Huston Hanes: We have some of the richest land - anywhere you can find. One of the things we lack is water. BOISE CITY, A SMALL TOWN IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE, HAS SEEN ITS FAIR SHARE OF HARD TIMES. IN THE THIRTIES, BILLOWING DUST STORMS FORCED RESIDENTS TO FLEE TO THE WEST COAST. FOR DECADES AFTER, THOSE THAT REMAINED IN THIS SMALL FARMING COMMUNITY STEELED THEMSELVES AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF WEATHER AND DRY EARTH. Carol Beamer: As a result of the drought, I planted wheat but it never did come up. BUT, WITH A DWINDLING POPULATION AND LACK OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITES, AN HISTORIC DROUGHT IS POISED TO DO WHAT THE DUST BOWL COULDN’T DO - DRIVE TOWNS IN THIS PARCHED REGION OUT OF EXISTENCE. Huston Hanes, Dust Bowl Survivor: The young folks didn’t find occupations and they moved away // that’s just not available here and won’t be available here without water. // We have some hard times, but any place you go you’re going to have some adversities. Kit: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Huston: Here. I already got my grave picked out. Mark Axtell, Funeral Director: A big part of our population drop is here. There’s no one to replace them because there’s no way to make a living here. // As far as their day to day lives, there’s nothing they can do about the weather and they know it. // I didn’t notice the wind blowing. It’s just a normal day for us. It’s a fact of life. It blows. // My family and I stay here // This is where we’ve lived. This is where we’ve been happy. // That’s why we stay here and that’s why we’ll do whatever it takes TOO stay here, as long as we possibly can. CF David, Editor of Boise City News: What we need is some sort of diverse economy to come in here. We keep hoping for wind power because God help us we got wind. // It’s bleak without jobs and a tax base. It’s like a pants pocket with sand and a hole the size of your finger in it. And, it’s just all leaking away and unless we can get something it’s going to eventually be gone. Carol Sharp, Rancher: This ranch is 15,000 acres. In this semi-arid country, as you can see, there’s not much to graze out here. If it rains, it grows. If it doesn’t rain, it doesn’t grow. We should be turning green right now and it’s not there. // Everything is a lot harder // You know, you live with what you have to and you know that times are bad, but times get good too. So, you just take it as it comes. ###