With forest fires raging round the Casino da Figueira da Foz in the city of Coimbra in Portugal, a chronic lack of rainfall is blamed for the tinder dry condition of the land. The drought, continuing high temperatures and strong winds have fanned the flames and the ancient city of Coimbra, in the worst affected region of Portugal, remains threatened by continuing outbreaks of fire. Similar conditions in Spain and France have seen fire-fighters there also coping with blazes. The Portuguese fires have already claimed 15 lives and some homes in the suburbs of Coimbra, and the affected areas are covered in a thick dark fog of smoke.

Across the Atlantic drought is affecting river levels in some US States. Earlier this month the Harrah’s riverboat Metropolis Casino operation in southern Illinois was closed because of low water levels on the Ohio River. In January this year the volume of melting snow upstream flooded the riverboat, causing it to close then also. This month’s low river levels altered the alignment of walkways to the riverboat entrances, and safety concerns brought about the temporary closure of the Metropolis.

It is the Mississippi River water levels that affect the Isle of Capri casinos at Natchez and Vicksburg. The Mississippi is 6 feet below its normal level and may have to wait for the start of the November rainy season before things approach normal. Customers now have to walk down a long hill to the casino, and extra wooden ramps have been added for safety. Unlike the Ohio River where water traffic was brought to a standstill, navigation of the Mississippi is kept functioning by dredging. However, like the Ohio River, the Mississippi also had flooding problems at the start of the year and the Isle of Capri operation had to hug the shoreline to escape rising waters.

After storms caused flooding in southern Arizona on Tuesday, when up to 4 inches of rain fell, a Red Cross emergency centre was set up at the Desert Diamond Casino for evacuees from the area, and a flash flood watch was in place for the San Pedro River near Tombstone. Hurricane Dennis caused Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos to report the worst July figures for seven years, and this was with the five weekends that made for record figures in other places. With global warming cited as the cause of the extremes of temperature and rainfall patterns, it is unlikely that drought and flood conditions will improve anytime soon. Casinos, just as residents and other businesses around the world, will have to make their contingency plans. (E-08.24.05)

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