News You Can Use

April 20, 2007

Operation Safe Surf Video Contest

Operation Safe Surf gives kids, parents and schools an opportunity to explore the issue of Internet Safety and to talk about it from their perspective.  The program is divided into three learning groups with age appropriate instructional materials and websites.  E-mailing, blogging and instant messaging are among the subjects addressed.

Recent statistics support the need for increased education about internet safety: 

• 1 in 7 kids was sexually solicited online in 2005 (Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later, NCMEC, December 2006)
• 89% of sexual solicitations of youth were made in either chat rooms or through instant messaging (Pew Study reported in JAMA, 2001)
• 13 million youth use instant messaging (Pew Study reported in JAMA, June 2001)
• 50% of teens talk in chat rooms or use instant messaging with Internet strangers (Market Wire, November 2006. i-SAFE Inc. December 2006)
• Almost 1 in 8 youth ages 8-18 discovered they were communicating online with an adult pretending to be much younger (Polly Klaas Foundation, December 2005)
• 30% of teenage girls have been sexually harassed in a chat room. Only 7% told their parents because they were worried they would be banned from going online (Girl Scout Research Institute, 2002)

Plug into Operation Safe Surf resources and cast your vote for your favorite video. 

Pennsylvania One Call System

With warmer temperatures just around the corner, outdoor projects requiring digging are about to be tackled by you and your neighbors.  It is also the time of year when Pennsylvania recognizes the importance of the One Call System.  The Pennsylvania Senate, through Senate Resolution 70, has designated the week of April 22 through 28, 2007 as "Pennsylvania One Call System Week.

"Pennsylvania's One Call System has been minimizing damage to underground utility lines, danger to workers, and loss of utility service for 35 years.  Originating in western PA and Pittsburgh with only six utility companies, the program now serves more than 100,000 excavators and 3,100 critical infrastructure owners.

Residents are encouraged to call 1-800-242-1776 at least three working days and not more than ten working days before digging in order to protect underground utility lines.  Access the system's brochure, "Safe Digging" for a clear understanding of the program. Also see Frequently Asked Questions.

Access the history and text of Senate Resolution 70.

Environmental Careers Camps Taking Applications

Students can explore environmental careers this summer courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.  The Environmental Careers Outdoors Camps program will play host to students honing their awareness of the outdoors and receiving exposure to related careers through two summer residential camps.

Selected applicants are exposed to a wide range of conservation and environmental career experiences including water quality assessments, geology field studies, and overnight camping experiences.  The free program offers instructions and daily activities overseen by specialists and officials of DCNR's Bureaus of State Parks, Forestry, and Topographic and Geologic Survey.

Available space for the Environmental Careers Camps are limited.  Interested students should contact the ECO Camp Coordinator at the Bureau of State Parks, Environmental Education and Information Division, P.O. Box 8551, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8551, by phone at 717-783-4356 or by email.

Take a look at Environmental Education and Interpretation in PA.

Many opportunities for environmental learning for all ages are presented throughout the state.  Workshops, hikes, guest lecturers, mountain retreats, fishing derbies and numerous other environmental activities and events are scheduled for the spring and summer of 2007.  Locate an event near you or locate Parks with Education Programs.

Directory of Services for Older Pennsylvanians

Are you or someone you know caring for an older Pennsylvanian?  Do you sometimes have difficulty locating specific programs?  Perhaps you would like some clarification on certain laws and regulations affecting older adults but do not know who or where to call.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has compiled a 6-page directory to make it easier to find answers and valuable services.  On the first two pages, locate a wide range of government services and information from consumer protection, to home- and community-based services to the state's pharmaceutical program and more.  The remaining 4 pages are dedicated to an A-Z directory for Aging Network Contacts.  Whether you need to locate a toll-free number for AARP, find fuel assistance or apply for a vegetable voucher, the Network Directory pages will facilitate the delivery of programs and services for older Pennsylvanians.

Power Outages & You 

Are you prepared for spring storms and power outages?  High winds scatter debris, topple trees and down power lines leaving homes and businesses without electricity.  The PA Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) wants you to know what to do if it happens to you.

A recent PEMA update on the number of electric customers left without power during the April 2007 Nor'easter reflects the potential impact of spring storms and offers a series of safety tips.  Tips begin with what to do when the lights go out, power lines are down, and flooding occurs, requiring special care with regard to electricity.

PEMA offers a series of emergency fact sheets and related safety tips. 

Turn Around, Don't Drown

The recent Nor'easter and resulting flooding has prompted reminders from emergency management officials to avoid driving or attempting to walk through rising flood waters.  Over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water.  Walking into or near flood waters, accounts for the next highest percentage of flood-related deaths, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The NWS advocates the Turn Around, Don't Drown program stressing that cars can be swept away in 18-24 inches of moving water while people can be swept off their feet by a mere six inches of flood water.  For more on the human and economic toll of flooding, click here.