<P> In 1935 , many families were forced to leave their farms and travel to other areas seeking work because of the drought ( which at that time had already lasted four years ) . Dust Bowl conditions fomented an exodus of the displaced from Texas , Oklahoma , and the surrounding Great Plains to adjacent regions . More than 500,000 Americans were left homeless . Over 350 houses had to be torn down after one storm alone . The severe drought and dust storms had left many homeless , others had their mortgages foreclosed by banks , and others felt they had no choice but to abandon their farms in search of work . Many Americans migrated west looking for work . Parents packed up `` jalopies '' with their families and a few personal belongings , and headed west in search of work . Some residents of the Plains , especially in Kansas and Oklahoma , fell ill and died of dust pneumonia or malnutrition . </P>
what states were most affected by the dust bowl
Texas Oklahoma Kansas Oklahoma