Home > Communications > [image: Communications] Disaster Information Resources Series [Image: Disaster Information Resources] These publications are designed to help Louisiana residents recover from floods, storms, extended power outages and other stressful, dangerous events. Horticulture Hints Newsletter [Image: Horticulture Hints] A quarterly newsletter from the Horticulture Division of the LSU AgCenter's School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences. Be cautious with generators after a storm (Distributed 08/29/08) Homeowners face many issues after a hurricane. If the home has escaped major structural damage, one of the first problems encountered may be the loss of electrical power. Prepare an evacuation to-go kit for your child (Distributed 08/29/08) Adults are urged to assemble a “grab-and-go” box of important papers in case of a hurricane evacuation. How about making a “to-go kit” for your child? Assembling a few treasured items can help your child in times of disaster, according to LSU AgCenter family development professor Dr. Rebecca White.  more articles... You can create bird habitats (For Release On Or After 09/26/08) Birds can contribute wonderful things to the enjoyment of a landscape, such as movement, color, sounds and even pest control. The presence of birds is almost universally welcome among gardeners. Gardeners can even go so far as to design and plant landscapes that are particularly attractive to birds. It’s time to think about landscaping (For Release On Or After 09/19/08) When it comes to home landscaping, many gardeners remain confused about how to create what they want. The important thing to remember is that developing an attractive, properly functioning landscape is best done using a process. Enjoy native wildflowers (For Release On Or After 09/12/08) Roadsides and meadows come alive with colors of native wildflowers in September, October and November. Gardeners – who sometimes struggle to create beautiful displays of flowers in their landscapes – often marvel at the way nature seems to achieve such beauty without effort. Dealing with storm-damaged trees (For Release On Or After 09/05/08) September is one of our most active months for tropical storms and hurricanes. Trees are particularly vulnerable to the effects of high winds and sustain various types of damage as a result. Tailgate food safety ‘coach’ lays out game plan for football season (Distributed 08/28/08) If you're planning to tailgate this football season, a strong defense is your best protection against foodborne illness, says LSU AgCenter food safety “coach” Dr. Beth Reames. Microorganisms that cause foodborne illness are all around and, given the right conditions, can grow in foods and make us sick. Why is my neighbor’s yard greener? (Distributed 08/27/08) A commonly asked question LSU AgCenter extension agents face every year is, “Why is my neighbor’s yard greener?” The answer can be simple or quite complex, depending on what's wrong. “If there are many issues interacting, sometimes it's just better to kill it all off and start all over,” said Tom Koske, LSU AgCenter turfgrass specialist. MEDIA ALERT -- Getting ready for a hurricane (Distributed 08/27/08) The LSU AgCenter has a wealth of information on preparing for hurricanes and other storms as well as what to do in the aftermath of a storm. Make hurricane preparations now (Radio News 8/27/08) The remains of Tropical Storm Fay dumped a lot of rain in Louisiana, but the state escaped the worst of Fay. Hurricane Gustav could finds its way here, however, and could be worse. If you haven’t prepared your yard, don’t delay. LSU AgCenter disaster programs coordinator Pat Skinner suggests taking a good look at your trees -- among other things. (Runtime: 60 seconds) Good time to check cholesterol level (Distributed 08/27/08) If you don't know your cholesterol number, now is a good time to get your blood cholesterol checked and take steps to lower it if it is high, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames. September is National Cholesterol Education Month. Corn, soybean breeding efforts continue to help raise yields in Louisiana (Distributed 08/27/08) ALEXANDRIA – Corn with improved resistance to aflatoxin and soybeans that won’t lose quality from Louisiana’s heavy rains are two of the crop breeding goals of an LSU AgCenter researcher at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Station in Alexandria. And Dr. Steve Moore is making progress on both fronts, which was good news for the 150 farmers and agricultural industry representatives gathered for a field day there on Aug. 21. More...