A higher terror alert level was the big topic around the country Monday, and whether it might curb holiday travel plans. But the real culprit at Redmond’s Roberts Field was another stealthy visitor: thick fog that canceled or delayed several scheduled arrivals and departures.

Five of Horizon Air’s flights into and out of the Redmond airport were canceled from late Monday afternoon on, as was at least one United flight, as fog turned to freezing fog and lowered visibility to a quarter-mile or less.

The National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory for Central Oregon through the night, primarily in areas from 1,500 to 3,500 feet in elevation. The forecasters also warned drivers that ice might form on roads, due to isolated drizzle and patchy freezing fog. Indeed, the fog turned to freezing fog at the Redmond airport after night fell.

By now, heavy security at airports is just part of the scene, at any time of year. So the elevated national “terror threat level” just as Christmas week began simply underscored the main message Carrie Novick and her staff at Redmond’s Roberts Field always gives travelers: Show up 90 minutes before your flight.

But it also prompted a renewed holiday reminder: If you’re going to be flying with presents, leave them unwrapped until you arrive at your destination, unless you want to be delayed and possibly miss your flight as Transportation Security Administration officials make you unwrap them.

On Sunday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced that the federal government was boosting the “national threat level” from “Elevated” (Code Yellow) to “High risk of terrorist attack” (Code Orange)

“The U.S. intelligence community has received a substantial increase in the volume of threat-related intelligence reports,” Ridge said. “These credible sources suggest the possibility of attacks against the homeland around the holiday season and beyond.”

In announcing the alert upgrade, Ridge said the information gathered indicated that “extremists abroad are anticipating near-term attacks that they believe will either rival or exceed” the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and that the threats again included “using airplanes as weapons.”

Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Monday also raised Oregon’s threat advisory level to “orange” (high), after consulting with federal and state officials.

“While there is an increased level of concern on the national level, there is no information that would indicate a specific or immediate threat to Oregon,” the governor said in a statement.

“I urge all citizens to remain calm, alert and active in the protection of our state,” Kulongoski said. “I also encourage everyone to continue with your holiday plans. No matter your faith or culture, now is the time of year for important celebrations. Gather with your family and friends and enjoy the spirit of the season.”

Change behind scenes at RDM

At Redmond, Novick said, “I think what’s going to happen is, people aren’t going to see the changes,” in terms of stepped-up security. “All the changes are behind the scenes.”

Despite the continued warnings not to wrap holiday presents, Novick said a lot of travelers still are showing up with the wrapping paper in place, and dismayed at having to remove it.

“Take the wrapping paper with you, or purchase paper at your destination,” she advised. “Or put it (the gift) in a checked bag. We don’t want anybody to miss their flight because they have to open the box and look at Pookie the Bear. It’s frustrating.”

Nevertheless, holiday-week flights are booked pretty solid, and Novick doesn’t expect the renewed terror warnings to change most folks’ minds.

“I think as Americans, we’re not going to let people get the best of us,” she said. “The best of us is for our families. We’re just not going to let people like that get the upper hand.”

A more mundane, everyday threat – the weather – has delayed many travelers into and out of Redmond this month: a return of thick fog that has been seen over the past several Decembers.

At this point, Novick said, “we don’t have enough bad days to qualify for inline lights” – the pulsating strobe lights down the center of the runway that can guide pilots in and reduce the minimum visibilities even further. But he said it’s possible that federal “passenger facility charge” funds could be sought for that equipment in the future.

“It isn’t significant, if you go down for three or four days a year or a couple hours one day” due to fog, Novick said.

Forecasters said rain was possible and at times likely across the High Desert until Christmas Eve, when snow was likely, followed by a chance of snow showers on Christmas Day and on through the weekend.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2003 at 11:32 am and is filed under Top Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.