Dear Mayor:

Yesterday, the Office of Homeland Security announced an increase in the national alert system from "elevated condition" (yellow) to "high condition" (orange), which indicates a high risk of terrorist attack.

Just before the public announcement, the National League of Cities participated in a conference call with the Office of Homeland Security to discuss the alert level. Governor Ridge's office stressed that there is no specific or credible information about specific threats on U.S. soil. But there is enough information to justify a higher level of alert.

There are several steps you may want to take in your community:

• Make the alert level known to city employees.
• Heighten your law enforcement visibility, ID checks, and parking restrictions around important facilities.
• Assess the potential threat to your local community and increase your security as needed.
• Review steps that families, schools, and businesses can take. The American Red Cross website www.americanredcross.org has useful information that matches alert levels with steps that can be taken by residents.
  

The National League of Cities has prepared two new guidebooks that can help you in your terrorism and emergency preparedness: "Homeland Security: Federal Resources for Local Governments" and "Homeland Security: Practical Tools for Local Governments." These two guidebooks are available on the front page of NLC's website, www.nlc.org, and can be downloaded as PDF files.

The new guidebooks offered on NLC's website are comprehensive and valuable sources of useful information. However, if you have a question that you cannot answer, please call 202-626-3020 at the National League of Cities, and we will try to answer your question or find the information you need.

It's important to be alert and prepared. Remember that heightened awareness and security can be a good defense against potential threats.