After up to 20 inches of rainfall these past couple of months, California seems to be recovering from its 5-year drought according to USA today.

With Californians not used to any rain at all, such an abundant amount at once has people constantly complaining.

Plant life has been able to grow again, rivers and lakes have been refilled, and animals and humans are now better able to access water in order to survive.

Isn’t life more important than the “Oh my gosh, my hair is a mess because of this rain” complaints?

Being concerned about the negative impacts that the rain has on one’s daily activities is very selfish and self-absorbed.

“We always get a little bit of rain but not enough. It’s wonderful to see how responsive all the plants are out here. Not just the ones we are trying to grow but also the native plants and the grasses. It’s been especially great because we got an above average amount of rain,” said Samuel Thomas, faculty adviser to the SEEd Garden at California Lutheran University.

According to an article by Darren Butler, a consulting arborist on the GardenZeus website, plants respond to rainfall exceptionally well. The rain naturally cleans the plants and improves photosynthesis so the plants are able to naturally feed themselves more efficiently.

By improving the health of plants, this means more crops, more food for both humans and animals, and an increase in oxygen.

The rain may be a lot to handle for Californians because of the lack of rain we have received the past couple of years, but there is a desperate need for all this rainfall.

According to the California Water Science Center, animals have been negatively impacted by lacking natural resources of water and food, ecosystems have been damaged, runoff and groundwater measurements have decreased, and wildfires have increased.

People need to understand that without water the environment fails and there will be minimal food sources.

“With the drought, it has definitely been more difficult to grow certain things. People need to understand the drought as not just an absence of water but as a sort of climate shift,” Thomas said. “That means that certain plants are struggling to adapt. It’s more dynamic than not enough water falling from the sky. It’s also higher winds and higher temperatures that makes it challenging for plants to survive.”

California Fire Captain Lucas Spelman said in an article in The Desert Sun that the rain has helped burn areas and has protected the ground, which allows for wildlife to grow again, attracting more animals as well.

“Psychologically, when people see this much rain they think we are out of the drought, and then you have policy makers and scientists saying California is out of the drought and that’s premature to say that. There is still a need to conserve more water,” Thomas said.

However, people that have been impacted by the rain in a harmful way have valid complaints about the rain. People that have been affected by mudslides, rockfalls and floods present a strong argument as to why the rain needs to stop.

“There is a point at which the rain doesn’t feel beneficial anymore but in the long term it is super beneficial. Now farmers have access to water,” Thomas said.

With so much green and greater access to water, plant life and food sources have been flourishing.

Before complaining about arriving to class a little wet, please realize that those complaints are microscopic compared to the issues that are presented when there is an absence of rain.

Maryssa Rillo
Staff Writer