from afp.com: California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday due to what could be the western US state’s worst drought in a century, which has sparked wildfires and hurt farmers. The declaration allows authorities to access federal help to battle the dry spell that has left huge swaths of tinder-dry forest vulnerable to going up in flames… Brown urged state residents to reduce their water use by at least 20 percent. “I’ve declared this emergency and I’m calling on all Californians to conserve water in every way possible,” he said in a statement. “We can’t make it rain,” he added.