Caribbean faces severe drought thanks to El Niño, slow hurricane season

This June 15, 2015 photo shows mud cracks at the drought affected Carraizo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Thanks to El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that affects global weather, the worst drought in five years is creeping across the Caribbean, prompting officials around the region to brace for a bone dry summer. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

In this June 15, 2015 photo, a discarded tire sits on the banks of the unusually low Carraizo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. In the midst of a drought, Puerto Rico activated National Guard troops to help distribute water and approved a resolution to impose fines on people and businesses for improper water use. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

This June 19, 2015 aerial photo shows a white heron taking flight over revealed fish nests, normally inches below the waterline in La Plata reservoir in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. Thanks to El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that affects global weather, less rain fell to help refill Puerto Ricos La Plata reservoir, as well as La Plata river in the central island community of Naranjito. A tropical disturbance that hit the U.S. territory on Monday did not fill up those reservoirs as officials had anticipated. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

This June 19, 2015 aerial photo shows the drought affected lakeshore of La Plata reservoir in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico expanded water rationing across several municipalities as it continues to confront a drought of potentially historic proportions. Thanks to El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that affects global weather, and a quieter-than-normal hurricane season that began in June, forecasters expect a shorter wet season. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

This June 11, 2015 aerial photo shows the dry banks of La Plata River in Comerio, in central Puerto Rico. The Caribbean's last severe drought was in 2010. The current one could grow worse if the hurricane season ending in November produces scant rainfall and the region enters the dry season with parched reservoirs, said Cedric Van Meerbeeck, a climatologist with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

This June 15, 2015 aerial photo shows the drought affected lakeshore of the Carraizo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Much of the Caribbean is experiencing the worst drought in years, threatening crops and forcing people to cut back on water consumption in Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere with no relief in sight. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

This June 19, 2015 aerial photo shows a boat ramp and dock rising high above the waterline of La Plata reservoir in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico expanded water rationing across several municipalities as it continues to confront a drought of potentially historic proportions. More than 200,000 people are now facing regular water supply cutoffs as the government tries to mitigate the crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

In this June 15, 2015 photo, a fish carcass litters the banks of the unusually low Carraizo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. From Puerto Rico to Cuba to the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia, crops are withering, reservoirs are drying up and cattle are dying while forecasters worry that the situation could only grow worse in the months to come. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

In this June 15, 2015 photo, a man casts fishing line from the banks of the unusually low Carraizo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is among the Caribbean islands worst-hit by the current water shortage, with more than 1.5 million people alone affected by the drought so far, according to the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

This June 11, 2015 aerial photo shows the dry banks of La Plata River in Comerio, in central Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is among the Caribbean islands worst-hit by the water shortage, with more than 1.5 million people alone affected by the drought so far, according to the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

In this June 15, 2015 photo, a man stands on the banks of the unusually low Carraizo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Tens of thousands of people receive water only every third day under strict rationing recently imposed by the island government. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)