High temperatures and water shortages had become the most severe problems. After the torrential rains and floods, water sources were destroyed, and water and air pollution worsened.
The high temperatures began in June, causing riverbeds to gradually dry up. The Clearwater River, which ran through the center of Corinth, had gone from overflowing and breaking its levees to completely drying out. Now, only shallow flats and mud bogs remained. The dry riverbanks were littered with corpses, and riots constantly broke out over a single handful of filthy water.
