UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- When the plum pox virus was found for the first time in North America in an Adams County peach orchard in 1999, Penn State Cooperative Extension collaborated with state and federal agencies to nip the outbreak in the bud before it decimated Pennsylvania's stone fruit industry.

When recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- or "mad cow disease" -- devastated livestock industries in Great Britain and Western Europe, Penn State Cooperative Extension responded with educational programs to help producers and others keep these diseases out of the United States.

When Pennsylvanians were coping with a multi-year drought during the 1990s and early 2000s, Penn State Cooperative Extension provided information and expertise that helped minimize the effects on farm businesses, families and communities.

The cooperative extension system has a tradition of responding to emergencies and natural disasters, such as storms, floods and disease outbreaks affecting crops, animals and people. But in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, extension is turning its sights to homeland security issues.

"Cooperative extension is uniquely positioned to respond to emergencies," says David Filson, director of Penn State Cooperative Extension's South Central Region. Filson recently accepted additional duties coordinating the organization's statewide emergency response efforts

"We have a network of educators around the state, with an office in every county," Filson says. "We also have a communications system -- including a statewide computer network and satellite downlink facilities in nearly every county -- that gives us the capacity to send and receive information very quickly. But with the added threat of terrorist attacks against our farms, food system and water supplies, we felt the need to enhance our emergency preparedness and response capabilities," he says.

As a result, emergency response contacts have been named in every county extension office and in each of extension's eight regions. A task force of Penn State faculty and extension specialists also has been assembled to lend expertise in response to a wide variety of potential emergencies.

"Extension is a key partner in local and statewide emergency planning," Filson says. "In the event of a natural or manmade emergency, the county emergency management office would set the wheels in motion. Relevant state and federal agencies -- such as the Pennsylvania and U.S. agriculture departments, the state health department, state emergency management agency, state department of environmental protection, and others -- would be contacted. If the emergency involves an attack or other event that affects the food system, for instance, cooperative extension would be called in quickly to provide information and assist with communication.

"Depending on the need, that information and expertise can cover a range of agricultural and consumer issues, including farm biosecurity, plant and animal health, risk management, food safety and human health, and family and household management," he adds.

Penn State Cooperative Extension also offers a wealth of publications, fact sheets and Web sites that cover a wide variety of emergency-related topics. In addition, resources are shared and distributed nationwide through the Extension Disaster Education Network, with extension systems at most land-grant universities participating.

Meanwhile, Filson will be overseeing disaster-related training and coordination for Penn State Cooperative Extension so that staff throughout the organization understand their roles and are ready to respond if and when they are needed.

"Although the response to an emergency is the most visible part of the effort, planning and preparation really are the keys," Filson says. "The better you prepare, the less time you need to spend responding. Often, proper planning can prevent an unwanted event from happening in the first place." On the Web: Penn State Cooperative Extension Disaster Site: http://www.cas.psu.edu/docs/coext/disaster/disaster.html

Penn State Cooperative Extension County Offices: http://www.extension.psu.edu/extmap.html Extension Disaster Education Network: http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden/default.aspx EDITORS: David Filson can be reached at 814-863-6424.

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Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu Chuck Gill cdg5@psu.edu 814-863-2713 814-863-9877 fax #179