The Department of Homeland Security’s raising of the terror alert level to orange has affected American cities from coastal metropolitan areas like New York to small towns in the Midwest like Ames.

The increase in Ames’ security is related to Operation Liberty Shield, a comprehensive national plan designed to increase protection for America’s citizens, while maintaining the free flow of goods and people across the border and minimal disruption of daily life, according to the department’s Web site at www.dhs.gov.

Operation Liberty Shield was launched March 17, following a decision to raise the homeland security advisory threat to high, or level orange.

Iowa’s Emergency Operations Center is activated, a regular step taken when the United States goes to war. Ames Police has alerted city water and electric departments to raise awareness of alert status and have increased their presence in shopping centers and other public areas.

Ames Police Cmdr. Jim Robinson said code orange means more awareness of government buildings, schools and hospitals. He recommended citizens remain more cautious about strange activities, like a suspicious vehicle.

“People should definitely be more mindful of their surroundings. If something doesn’t feel right, citizens should call up the police,” he said.

City Manager Steve Schainker said the city was adequately prepared before security was increased to code orange.

“We’ve been gearing up our facilities and increasing security since September 11,” he said. “We’ve enforced more lock-downs and increased security cameras in important areas, such as the power plant.”

In the event of an attack, Schainker said the city has an emergency response plan in place, though it’s typically used for tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters not related to terrorism.

An emergency command team, composed of the city manager, the police chief, fire chief and other heads of major departments, would assemble in event of an emergency.

“We would oversee solutions to any problems in the city,” Schainker said.

He said citizens can increase local safety by cooperating with the police.

“Citizens can be our eyes and ears for what happens in the community,” Schainker said.

The city has taken measures to increase security, but Schainker said people shouldn’t become paranoid.

“I don’t think people should take extraordinary measures for safety,” he said.

“We don’t want anyone to panic or radically change their lifestyle. People should react in a way similar to a neighborhood watch.”

Robinson agreed residents shouldn’t take extreme safety measures.

“I haven’t changed my lifestyle in response to code orange,” he said.

Robinson said even though security has increased, few activities will change in light of code orange, including Veishea.

“There’s already a large amount of security on hand for an event as large as Veishea,” Robinson said. “Because of that, the event won’t be run any differently than it normally would.”

Schainker would not affirm that Iowa ran a low risk of an attack, but he was confident of the Ames’ security.

“We’ll be prepared as if we were a prime target,” he said.