Registering with our new Connect CTY emergency notification system is quick and easy. Once registered, you will be able to receive important updates concerning West Columbia.
Visit our Connect CTY page for more information, and frequently asked questions.
The 2010 Hurricane Season is here!
June 1st, 2010 marked the beginning of the 2010 hurricane season. The season will run through November 30, 2010. Forecasters predict there will be 11 named storms this season, 6 of which will be hurricanes, and 2 of those will likely be major hurricanes. Please be prepared ahead of time to evacuate if necessary. Visit our hurricane page for evacuation tips and more information. Click here to visit the National Hurricane Center's website. Here you can get up to date information on current storms that could affect you. Download the 2010 Brazoria County Hurricane Preparedness Guide here. The guide is mailed free to all Brazoria County residents and contains vital information to assist Brazoria County residents in the event of a storm.
INTERNET WARNING FOR PARENTS
CONSUMER ALERT Parents Should Keep Children Away From New Video Chat Web Site Chatroulette.com
An increasingly popular Web site poses a threat to Texas children by giving users – including dangerous sex offenders – an opportunity to conduct live video chats with randomly selected participants.
Armed with only a Web camera and Internet access, www.chatroulette.com users are paired with a random stranger for a video chat. Neither a login nor registration is required before young users can be face-to-face with a total stranger. Worse, users who simply click “next” are shuffled to a new video chat partner.
An undercover investigation by the Cyber Crimes Unit revealed startling results. Nearly half of the randomly selected users encountered by Cyber Crimes investigators immediately exposed themselves and conducted sexually explicit acts on camera.
In light of the serious threat that children will be exposed to graphic sexual conduct, Texas parents should prohibit their children from accessing www.chatroulette.com. Although site users are supposed to be at least 16 years old, the rule is not clearly enforced – which means parents’ preventative role is particularly important.
Attorney General Abbott reminds parents to closely monitor their children’s Internet activities by using the following safety tips:
• Place the computer in a public room at home so that parents can monitor their children’s Internet use. Do not allow computers in a child’s bedroom or permit the use of Web cameras. • Make sure children know never to agree to a face-to-face meeting with someone they meet online and never to divulge personal information to an Internet stranger. • Stay informed. Surf the Internet with children or at least talk to them about the Web sites they are visiting. • Establish ground rules for children’s Internet usage, including the hours they may surf and the kinds of Web sites they may visit. Post the rules near the computer.
