http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/163480 Officials not surprised city was added to 'high-threat' terror list By Tom Beal ARIZONA DAILY STAR Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.06.2007 <http://gcirm.tucson.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/news.azstarnet.com/stori es/nationworld/48410822/300x250_1/OasDefault/FreedomRV2/FDRV_Banner300x250.g if/34336134653133343435613134656530> Tucson's inclusion on a list of 45 areas of "high threat" for terrorism released Friday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is simply an acknowledgment of the region's need to be vigilant and plan for disaster, local officials say. "I think it's a no-brainer. We should have been on this list from the get-go," said Capt. Frank Duarte, commander of the Pima County Sheriff's Department Homeland Security division. Duarte said the area has always had most of the elements on Homeland Security's threat assessment list - "everything but a port and a major nuclear power plant." It is a high-density urban area that lies along a well-established international smuggling corridor; it is a major transportation hub with international connections; and it is home to a major research university, military bases and Raytheon Missile Systems, said Duarte. Being on a list doesn't change any of that, Duarte said. "We're in no more danger today than we were yesterday." Tucson's designation as a target makes it eligible to compete for a pot of money from the Urban Areas Security Initiative - $746.9 million of the $1.67 billion the Department of Homeland Security will give to states and their subdivisions in the coming year. The program, according to a release from the Department of Homeland Security, provides money for "the unique planning, equipment, training and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density urban areas." Forty-five urban areas are eligible to compete for the $746.9 million in grants, but the lion's share of the money is set aside for six "Tier 1" areas - the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles/Long Beach, Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C., and the New York City/North Jersey metropolitan area. Tucson is the third-smallest of 39 Tier 2 areas that will compete for $336 million. Some of the metropolitan areas contending for that money, such as Philadelphia and Dallas/Fort Worth, are five to six times the size of Tucson. Mayor Bob Walkup attributed Tucson's inclusion to its location near the border with Mexico. "If you look at the list, the cities that got on are on the border; those that fell off are in the interior," he said. Tucson; El Paso; Norfolk, Va.; and Providence, R.I., were added to the list. Dropped were Baton Rouge, La.; Louisville, Ky.; Omaha, Neb.; and Toledo, Ohio. Walkup said he places Tucson's listing "into the good news column" despite its recognition of threat. "We have elevated our preparedness," he said. "This will help us do more." Nobody knows how much money Tucson and the region will get or even what they plan to seek. Duarte said a steering committee of all the regional jurisdictions will need to agree on a proposal that will be sent to the state Office of Homeland Security for review. "We're all in the same ballgame," said Walkup. "We've always been straight on the need for interoperability." Duarte said the intelligence gathering, preparedness training and tools for coping with disasters will be put to use, terrorist attack or not. "The tools and methods can be used for hazardous material spills as well as biological weapons attacks. When we had floods in the summer, we came together in our command post, had good communications with all the jurisdictions," he said. "It will enhance our capabilities for all hazards," said Kerry Reeve, division manager of the county's Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. 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