Montana State University Extension has created the Montana Extension Disaster Education Network

For many Montanans, our state is an Eden, or close enough. True, most of us wear clothes most of the time, and we lack a really lush garden, and our snakes don’t bother offering us apples.

MSU-Bozeman News Service

Still, our Eden is fraught with perils, from drought and floods to tornadoes, from forest fires and earthquakes to extreme cold.

To help Montanans prepare for and deal with these and many other perils, Montana State University Extension has created the Montana Extension Disaster Education Network, known as Montana EDEN, and set up a Website, http://www.montanahelp.org. A visit to the site gives instantaneous access to an abundance of information on dealing with perils to our well-being–all except personal or household emergencies. (In such emergencies, always call 911!)

Highlights of this new Web page are these:

–A ticker tape streaming up-to-the-moment information from the Governor’s Homeland Security Task Force and other local and national agencies.

–A list of emergency-related topics, the more pressing issues on top.

–A map of the state showing every Montana county. A click on any county brings up current emergency or hazard information for that county.

–A button that links directly to current hazards and disasters information on the Web sites of Montana Disaster and Emergency Services and other emergency response agencies.

–Direct "deep" links–that is, links that bypass welcome pages and go straight to the heart of the matter–to Montana Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Montana Department of Agriculture and many another agency.

–Tabs for information on protecting one’s family from various disasters—and a similar tab that links to information especially for educators and trainers.

MSU Extension specialist Michael Vogel, professor of housing and environmental health, directs Montana EDEN. Barb Watson coordinates with the many state and federal agencies involved, and oversees the Web site.

Contact: Barb Watson (406) 994-7517, [email protected]