(Distributed 12/22/06) In Louisiana, 2006 likely will be remembered as the year after the hurricanes. But a relatively ordinary year was a welcome relief to many, including farmers. While the hurricanes in 2005 took a toll on many agricultural producers, production this year was good for most commodities, according to LSU AgCenter economist Dr. Kurt Guidry.

(Distributed 12/20/06) Working with volunteers to restore New Orleans’ City Park has become an ongoing labor of love for two LSU AgCenter employees.

(Distributed 10/25/06) After taking a firsthand look at the needs of New Orleans, officials with investment banking firm Goldman Sachs decided to lend some helping hands plus cash to the recovery effort.

(Distributed 09/26/06) Southwest Louisiana 4-H Club members gave Gov. Kathleen Blanco a check for more than $50,000 at Saturday’s (Sept. 23) commemoration of Hurricane Rita’s first anniversary. The check represents cash raised by the 4-H’ers and the value of their volunteer work in hurricane recovery efforts. In other activities, officials also rode in a ceremonial cattle drive designed to remember Rita’s devastation of that industry in the area.

(Distributed 09/26/06) Students at South Cameron Elementary School recently learned about beach erosion control by using an LSU AgCenter lesson plan about hurricanes. The educational material, which is being made available to schools throughout the area, includes details on how storms are formed, Hurricane Rita’s effects on agriculture in the area, hurricane terms, hurricane preparation measures and more.

(Radio News 09/25/06) Nearly a year after Hurricane Rita devastated Southwest Louisiana, salt remains concentrated in many rice fields. Farmers are wondering if those fields will return to production next year. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 09/23/06) On the eve of the first anniversary of Hurricane Rita, fishermen in Cameron Parish were celebrating the dedication of a new ice plant that will aid in the recovery effort under way in South Louisiana.

(Distributed 08/25/06) A year after being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, southeast Louisiana’s commercial and recreational fishing industries are still in the rebuilding stages – and the pace of progress is dramatically different for each of them.

(Distributed 8/22/06) Flashbacks, feelings of grief or depression and other symptoms can be attributed to the anniversary of a traumatic event such as the loss of a loved one, an accident or a natural disaster. LSU AgCenter family life professor Dr. Diane D. Sasser expects many people will suffer the "anniversary effects" of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

(Distributed 08/16/06) A mild hurricane season so far shouldn’t be a reason for letting your guard down, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter. Make sure you're prepared long before you hear a storm might be headed your way.

(Distributed 08/14/06) The LSU AgCenter is providing mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) to the New Orleans area in an effort to suppress mosquito populations in the many abandoned swimming pools in the city.

(Distributed 08/11/06) The LSU AgCenter’s efforts to help with the cleanup and recovery in New Orleans continue to take on national dimensions. One of the latest projects targeted Bayou Metairie in City Park and included 200 volunteers. Although most were local, some came from as far away as Boston.

(Distributed 07/28/06) When LSU AgCenter Hurricane Recovery Coordinator Mark Schexnayder hosted a group of volunteers from Ohio State University in December, he had no idea one of them would soon become a coworker. But that’s the way it turned out when Amanda Hardesty took on the task of volunteer coordinator with Louisiana Sea Grant and settled into sharing office space with other LSU AgCenter personnel in Jefferson Parish

(Distributed 07/28/06) LSU AgCenter agents in seven South Louisiana parishes are working with other agencies on a project designed to help displaced students meet their ongoing needs. The effort, known as the Partnership for Prevention Education, is targeted toward Louisiana residents affected by last year’s hurricanes.

(Distributed 05/31/06) Most disaster checklists include recommendations to keep a three-day food supply on hand for each person, but just exactly what does that mean? LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames has some of the answers.

(Distributed 05/31/06) With this year’s hurricane season starting, LSU AgCenter experts say stocking up on supplies now makes sense.

(Distributed 05/30/06) If you have pets or livestock, your family’s disaster plans need to include what you’ll do with them.

(Distributed 05/29/06) You need to take some precautions during hurricane season if you have a boat moored, docked or stored in a recreational harbor along the Gulf Coast, an LSU AgCenter expert says.

(Distributed 05/26/06) Regularly checking the trees in your yard for damage, disease and other indications of danger is important, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter, who say the beginning of hurricane season is a good reminder to do it now.

(Distributed 05/26/06) Hurricanes can cause flooding even in areas where it never occurred before. That means everyone should be prepared before storms approach and should know what to watch for during a storm, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 05/26/06) The chaos that came in the wake of some of last year’s hurricanes demonstrated the need for families to have basic plans for what to do in case of a storm or any other emergency. LSU AgCenter experts say making the plans isn’t complicated, but making them now ensures everyone has a better chance of knowing what to do if disaster strikes.

(Distributed 05/24/06) Don’t wait until a storm is approaching to talk to your children about hurricanes. Everyone will be able to cope better if you get children involved in your plans and preparations, says LSU AgCenter family development specialist Dr. Diane Sasser.

(Distributed 05/23/06) You may not be able to prevent hurricanes and storms that interrupt your routine or destroy your home, but you can make plans to keep them from disrupting everything, according to LSU AgCenter family economist Dr. Jeanette Tucker.

(Distributed 05/22/06) The hurricanes of 2005 demonstrated what works and what doesn’t for the home-building industry, a prominent building expert said recently during a series of seminars across southern Louisiana presented by the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 05/22/06) This game of 20 questions can help you determine whether you and your family will be prepared if a hurricane comes your way, according to LSU AgCenter experts.

(Distributed 05/19/06) LSU AgCenter forester Brian Chandler says many people still need a way to cut and move timber that was damaged in last year’s hurricanes. Although months have passed since the storms, Chandler said he’s seen that situation over and over again. So he brought together manufacturers of portable sawmills from as far away as Canada this month (May 13) to demonstrate their equipment.

(Distributed 05/11/06) The LSU AgCenter Thursday (May 11) announced the launch of a major effort to stop the surge of fire ants in the Greater New Orleans area. Called "FAST (Fire Ant Surge Threat) Prevention," the program involves spreading fire ant control products throughout the public areas in New Orleans and encouraging private landowners in both Orleans and St. Bernard parishes to do the same.

(Distributed 05/09/06) The destructive force of tidal surges from hurricanes Katrina and Rita at least had one benefit – controlling fire ants, according to researchers from the LSU AgCenter. LSU AgCenter entomologist Dr. Linda Hooper-Bui recently said field surveys in the area of Plaquemines, St. Bernard and Orleans parishes area after Hurricane Katrina and in Southwest Louisiana after Hurricane Rita showed the fire ant population was far below normal in areas flooded by storm surge.

(Distributed 04/28/06) LSU AgCenter 4-H agents are working with students in St. Bernard Parish to help them find things to do and ways to take their minds off the devastation all around them.

(Distributed May 2006) Residents and authorities have vowed to be more prepared for hurricanes this year following the disasters of Katrina and Rita last season. Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 21-27.

(Distributed May 2006) Extremely dry weather in recent months across the southern Louisiana parishes has many farmers concerned about a repeat of the mega-drought conditions of 1998-2001. And their fears are not unfounded, according to LSU AgCenter weather specialist and extension climatologist Jay Grymes.

(Distributed 04/19/06) The overall value of Louisiana’s agricultural production was down by $1 billion last year, and officials warn the long-term effects of the 2005 hurricanes could mean even more decreases.

(Distributed 04/03/06) Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco recently heard from LSU AgCenter county agents about the losses Vermilion Parish farmers have endured in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.

(Photos Posted 03/31/06) Nationally acclaimed financial adviser Ric Edelman spoke about hurricane recovery March 29 at an LSU AgCenter meeting focused on rebuilding communities and families.

(Distributed 03/17/06) Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the surrounding area suppressed fire ants in some areas and eradicated them in others, according to experts from the LSU AgCenter. As families move back into the devastated areas, they’re offered a unique opportunity – a red-imported-fire-ant-free landscape, said Dr. Linda Bui, an entomologist with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 03/17/06) An acclaimed financial advisor and author will be the keynote speaker for a special sesson on "After the Hurricanes: Rebuilding Communities and Strengthening Families" March 29 in Baton Rouge. Sponsored by the LSU AgCenter and the Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge Inc., the session will begin at 1 p.m. March 29 in the Lod Cook Conference Center on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 03/17/06) Prices for timber products should begin a slow improvement once the market absorbs the wood being salvaged from hurricane-ravaged forests, a Mississippi professor predicted at the LSU AgCenter Forestry Forum held recently in Shreveport.

(Distributed 03/15/06) One gleaming ship stands out among the others in a Plaquemines Parish shipyard crowded with boats damaged by last year’s hurricanes. That vessel, the Pat-Al, went back in the water this week thanks to a device known as a Marine Travelift and the generosity of people from Alaska.

(Distributed 03/14/06) As New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region struggle to recover from last year’s hurricanes, help continues to arrive, and LSU AgCenter faculty members continue to assist in coordinating those efforts. Among the latest to help was a group of students from Penn State University, who gave up their spring break last week (March 4-10) to visit the New Orleans area and help to get the city back up and running.

(Distributed March 2006) Special rules for victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma will ease the eligibility requirements for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).

(Distributed March 2006) The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 and the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 provide certain tax breaks to help victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

(Distributed 02/21/06) Will the South American rice leaf miner be affected by salt water pushed ashore by Hurricane Rita? LSU AgCenter entomologist Dr. Boris Castro said it’s possible the rice pest’s population could have been weakened by the high salinity, but there’s no way of knowing yet.

(Distributed 02/21/06) South Louisiana rice fields contaminated with salt from Hurricane Rita’s storm surge have shown some improvements, although not as much as expected, and salinity levels actually have increased in some sugarcane fields.

(Distributed 02/21/06) "I’ve never won anything in my life," cried Tasha Miller. But her day had come. Miller, a 4-H volunteer from New Orleans who lost her home in Hurricane Katrina, was one of 10 who won a 2006 Toyota Prius hybrid from NBA star Amare Stoudemire.

(Distributed 02/17/06) Hurricane Rita destroyed homes, schools and barns when it ripped through Cameron Parish last fall. It also bruised and battered the hopes of hundreds of 4-H’ers looking forward to showing livestock.

(Distributed 02/15/06) Owners of South Louisiana property affected by last year’s hurricanes may need to evaluate the termite protection for their homes and other buildings but won’t necessarily need to treat again, according to an entomologist with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 01/19/06) As crawfish season nears, consumers have many questions. What will the crawfish be like this year? How much will crawfish cost? Because of last year’s weather – both hurricanes and drought conditions – those questions do not have clear answers, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(TV News 1/2/06) An ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of cure when it comes to building homes that stand in the path of a hurricane. Stronger and smarter is the message building specialists are sending to builders and homeowners. (Runtime: 1 minute 34 seconds)

(Distributed 01/11/06) Eager to get a feel for recovery work, nine students from McDaniel College in Maryland are spending two weeks with LSU AgCenter agents lending a hand in the cleanup following Hurricane Katrina.

(Radio News 1/9/06) Representatives with the U.S. Department of Energy toured the LSU AgCenter’s showcase home, known as LaHouse, and said this structure shows what homeowners can do to streghten their homes and make them more efficient. Runtime: 60 seconds.

(Radio News 1/9/06) Construction continues on the LSU AgCenter’s showcase home, the Louisiana House Home and Landscape Resource Center. The special features of the structure could influence techniques and components used to rebuild hurricane-damaged areas. Runtime: 60 seconds.

(Radio News 1/9/06) Hurricanes Katrina and Rita exposed how vulnerable standard buildings can be to powerful storms. A lesson from these storms is to build stronger and smarter, the experts say. Runtime: 60 seconds.