Awareness &045; the biggest change for local law enforcement and other emergency agencies in the Miss-Lou.

&uot;Officers, like anyone else in the country, are more aware of suspicious people and suspicious vehicles,&uot; Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said.

Natchez-Adams Civil Defense Director George Souderes said it is important to be aware to provide security to the community as much as possible.

&uot;People will always be aware now,&uot; Souderes said. &uot;We still face that awareness every day.&uot;

Watching out for suspicious activity and being aware of the surroundings, that is the plan.

&uot;We’ve all lost our innocence,&uot; Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell said. &uot;We live with it daily in the news. We are concerned. We are more diligent.&uot;

But for local agencies, there is more than just being aware.

They are becoming more prepared for anything that might happen through new equipment and training from grants from Homeland Security.

President George W. Bush said Wednesday at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., &uot;For two years, this nation has been on the offensive against global terror networks &045; overseas, and at home. We’ve taken unprecedented, effective measures to protect this homeland. Yet, our nation has more to do. We will never be complacent.&uot;

Through the office of Homeland Security, area agencies are equipping to protect themselves and protect others through detection and decontamination of anything hazardous to the community through grants.

Through many thousands of dollars worth of grants, Concordia Parish, Natchez and Adams County are becoming better and better equipped to protect the Miss-Lou through equipment and training.

Any money received for Homeland Security has to be used in one of three areas, according to Souderes &045; personal protection equipment of emergency responders, detection equipment or for decontamination.

The money also can be spent in areas that support these three.

Through Homeland Security, to receive funding, each city or county has to do a risk assessment of the area to identify the &uot;vulnerable&uot; areas.

Although Natchez and Adams County has not received a designation yet, Souderes said

Natchez-Adams is between a low to moderate risk. Soudares said cities with a high population or with chemical plants are at higher risks, neither of which Natchez or Adams County has. But there are hazards here and close by.

For instance, the Mississippi River Bridge is one large concern for local law enforcement and emergency preparedness/civil defense officials.

Other threats are things located in many cities &045; the airport, water works, hospitals, etc.

But not far down the road is the Sydney A. Murray Hydroelectric Station, which Maxwell said the department patrols that area 24 hours. Also there is Grand Gulf Nuclear Station to the northeast and River Bend Nuclear Station to the south.

Needless to say, local officials want to be prepared and cautious, just in case anything would happen here.

&uot;We don’t anticipate a problem, but we are prepared for it,&uot; Mullins said.

Maxwell added: &uot;It can happen here.&uot;