Just about every major news agency in the US and around the world is reporting on what could be one of the worst-ever El Niño weather conditions later this year.

For the Marshall Islands, an El Niño year usually causes an extended drought as well warming ocean water at the equator pushing tuna into RMI waters.

The second is a welcome phenomenon, the first not so much.

The last big El Niño to hit the RMI began in late 1997 and continued into 1998, resulting in almost no rain from January to May.

The airport reservoir ran dry and was pumping about 200,000 gallons of water a day from the Laura lens well.

City water was on for a few hours every 14 days because 14 days of pumping water from Laura provided enough mass of water in the reservoir that allowed Majuro Water and Sewer Company to pump fresh water into the distribution pipes with enough pressure to reach town.

At the time, the US government declared a disaster in response to appeals from....