Travelers told: Be alert, not afraid

Charlia Rice, her brother, Carlos and son Neil wait in the airport for their younger brother to arrive from Maryland. They are happy about the increased security. Staff/Ken Osburn e-mail this story Related Related Web site • Department of Homeland Security • Preparedness tips from the Department of Homeland Security

The government elevated the national terror alert warning to orange from yellow on Sunday, following warnings that the terrorist organization al-Qaida might be plotting attacks against the United States during the holidays.

The new designation indicates a high risk.

Most travelers and local emergency workers in Greenville took U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's advice to "just go about your business" while also staying on on guard in public places.

"I was quite sure they would enhance (the alert) for the holidays," said Charlia Rice, 18, of Spartanburg. She waited Monday near the front entrance of Greenville-Spartanburg airport for her 14-year-old brother to arrive from Maryland.

"It's tough because the information we have is so non-specific," said Warren Edwards, deputy director of the Greenville County Office of Emergency Management. "Federal authorities are telling us that it's a possibility of an airplane used in suicide attacks."

He said emergency personnel would be ready to respond should something happen but there's not much they can do in advance of such an attack. Law enforcement patrols are increased only if the alert status goes to red, Edwards said.

A major factor in the decision to raise the nation's terror alert level from "elevated" to "high" was the holiday season, when more people are distracted and traveling and large numbers of people gather at events ranging from football bowl games to massive New Year's celebrations in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and elsewhere.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said a number of "credible sources" have suggested the possibility of attacks around the holiday season and beyond, The Associated Press reported. Such attacks, he added, are expected by terrorists being monitored overseas to "rival or exceed the scope" of those on Sept. 11 that killed about 3,000 people.

Still, the Bush administration coupled its message of extra vigilance with an appeal to Americans not to abandon plans to travel.

A policeman at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport walked along a chain-link fence outside the airport entrance, but there were few other signs of added security measures. A security checkpoint for cars, used in the months after Sept. 11, 2001, remained unmanned.

Brooke Burris, 24, of Seneca, who was traveling Monday with her parents and brother to Oklahoma for the holidays was surprised about the checkpoint.

"I've been here before, and they've searched the car," she said. "It seems weird."

Brooke's mother, Charlene Burris said she liked the atmosphere at the airport.

"I feel safer flying out of Greenville than Atlanta," she said.

Stephen Love, 20, said he was randomly checked a few times when he flew last year. A student at Anderson College, he was on his way Monday to Memphis.

"It's died off a whole lot," he said.

Cargo planes and flights originating overseas were of special concern. Officials say steps have been taken to improve security in both areas, but some critics call for the screening of all packages on cargo planes to prevent smuggling of bombs.

Robert Bonner, commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection Bureau, said his agency has boosted inspections at all 301 U.S. entry points, the Associated Press reported. Holiday leaves were canceled for Customs and Border Patrol agents.

A particular focus, Bonner said, is screening of cargo containers at seaports in the United States and abroad.

Byron Miller, manager of public information at the South Carolina Ports Authority, said security personnel are doing random inspections of vehicles and containers at its four public marine terminals.

Federal grant money since Sept. 11, which will add up to $7 million for the authority when the latest $2.3 million installment comes in, has paid for a new gate-monitoring system, waterside security, a port police boat, as well as night vision and thermal imaging equipment. All have enhanced security at the ports in Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal, Miller said.

He said the ports couldn't bring in additional personnel with the Code Orange alert. On an average day seven commercial ships arrive, principally carrying merchandise for retailers.

"Just the folks we have are working longer and harder," Miller said.

Ships come from 150 countries and every continent. Asia, the Middle East, South America and Europe are among some of the starting points for ships coming into South Carolina. The port is fourth largest in the country.

"That's why security's so important," Miller said. "Any delays in the supply chain means cost to business."

Across the country, security was strengthened for key bridges, tunnels and landmarks, as well as nuclear and chemical facilities and other installations that might be vulnerable to attack, the Associated Press reported.

At the Oconee Nuclear Station, security has been increased in compliance with regulations set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Duke Power's director of public affairs, Tim Pettit, said. This is routine when the alert status goes to orange, he said.

"There's no particular industrial sector that's been singled out (by the threats)," he said.

Code Orange requires the nuclear plants to restrict public access, Pettit said, which is why the World of Energy has been closed.

Tanya Grant, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park ranger at Hartwell Lake, said no facilities or parks have been closed to the public as a result of the alert status. Tours of the dam were stopped after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Visitors to the Greenville Grrrowl game Saturday should not discern any security increases, though more will be happening behind the scenes, said Emily Stewart, head of security at the Bi-Lo Center. Metal detectors are still in place, and bags will be checked as usual.

For local law enforcement, the heightened security alert Monday coincided with a bomb scare at Greenville County Family Court.

Sheriff's deputies evacuated the building after a clerk received a package from Brooklyn, NY, addressed to someone named Mohammed, sheriff's Sgt. Shea Smith said. He said it raised suspicions because no one at the court has that name.

The package was X-rayed, and wires were detected, said Michael Hildebrand, public information officer with the sheriff's office. At that point, a bomb-sniffing dog was brought in, and the package was cleared to be opened.

Its contents: a Nintendo Game Cube, tennis shoes, socks and underwear, said Sgt. Shea Smith.

"I think this shows that we really are prepared," Hildebrand said.

Staff writer Andy Paras and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Anna B. Brutzman can be reached at 864-298-4394.