Updated

In the gently rolling hills of Oklahoma ranch country is a place that has seen more than its share of destructive weather — tornadoes, ice storms and floods, year after year, for half of the last decade.

In fact, Caddo County has been declared a federal disaster area nine times since 2007, making it one of the nation's most ill-fated locations. But even here, farmers and ranchers say, no one has endured anything as crippling as the ongoing drought.

Oklahomans know better than most Americans about the perils of bad weather. Their state practically blew away during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and they live in the heart of tornado alley — a wide corridor in the central United States where twisters are common.