Video: Executive Director Of Miss. Dept. Of Homeland Security Visits West Point

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WEST POINT, MISS. (WCBI) – Shoe bombs, anthrax, mass shootings…those are the things most of us think about when we hear homeland security. But since the federal and state governments created Homeland Security agencies a dozen years ago, their roles have changed to touch our lives in ways we often don’t think about. WCBI’s Alyssa Martin visits with the state director and tells us how preparedness and coordination are reaching down to the smallest emergency responder groups.

The offices of Homeland Security were born out of the 9/11 terrorists attacks on New York and Washington. The early mission was better coordination and planning among a variety of agencies to stop future attacks. While intelligence was a key goal, the agency also focused on making everyone from local law enforcement agencies to every day citizens more aware of what was going on around them…to be vigilant.

“We’re more aware of our surroundings, we’re more concerned with what’s going on, things that are out of the norm,” said the Executive Director for the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, Everett Barnes.

New challenges also have cropped up, such as respo0nding to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and tornadoes that have ripped across the state four times in the last five years. And now there is a new scare — Ebola. Although the threat is low, the agency has been working for months with the health and emergency management departments on planning and response.

“We don’t foresee that because one thing the department of health and the Homeland is trying to do, we’re trying to put the correct info out there, not to alarm the public, to make sure that they are getting the proper information on how you can get the virus and what to do to prevent getting the virus,” said Barnes.

The agency also plays a vital role in local communities. From providing grants for things like fire trucks and equipment for volunteer fire departments to helping train police, deputies and emergency responders on everything from disaster response to man-made emergencies, the agency’s reach has grown.

“Even though our funds have been cut, we do have a good bit set aside for training and that is one thing we have found, if we invest in training, training is a system and its easier to invest in training and get the systems out there,” said Barnes.

The Corinth native has headed Homeland Security for 18 months. Before that, he was a top administrator with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and emergency response coordinator.

Barnes spoke to the West Point Rotary Club during their meeting.

Categories: Local News

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