RALEIGH, N.C. — On the same day that a new report showed more North Carolina counties are battling drought than were last year, Gov. Mike Easley signed a law giving state officials broader powers to respond to drought. A U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday showed that 24 North Carolina counties are in "exceptional" drought — the most dire classification — while 14 are in "extreme" and eight are "severe." Under the new measure, Easley and future governors can direct water systems to share their water with other regions without having to invoke the governor's constitutional powers and declare a state of emergency when the public's health is in jeopardy.
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