Chickamauga Lock and DamChattanooga has no major airports, no crowd-drawing monuments, no regular gatherings of public officials. It has none of the markers we'd expect as terrorist targets.
But on the heels of a terror attack in Canada that took Parliament by surprise and left a reservist dead, Homeland Security officials say they're stepping up security at federal buildings around the country -- and they won't specify whether Chattanooga is on their list.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Tuesday announced an increased presence of Federal Protective Services personnel at "various U.S. government buildings in Washington, D.C., and other major cities and locations around the country." A statement released by the agency cited recent attacks in Canada and public calls for attacks by terrorists.
Johnson warned law enforcement nationwide to be on the lookout for small-scale attacks, like the one in Canada, "by a lone offender or a small group of individuals."
A Homeland Security spokesman would not confirm locations where those extra measures might be taken, but said they were not based on any specific, credible threats. It's not clear whether Chattanooga's Joel W. Solomon federal building will see any changes, but no signs of a beefed-up security presence were evident inside the building Wednesday afternoon.
A Chattanooga Municipal Airport spokesman said no changes have been implemented there, saying that personnel "consistently maintain the highest standards of security, regardless of developments in other parts of the world."
Tennessee Valley Authority personnel said they haven't changed things much either, but have warned employees to be extra vigilant.
Chattanooga's TVA office building straddling Broad Street is one of the authority's largest office complexes, and like Chickamauga Dam and Raccoon Mountain, it's patrolled by the TVA's own security force or private security contractors.
"We're taking the opportunity to use the tragedies in Canada and elsewhere to remind our employees that we cannot take anything for granted, that they must maintain a very vigilant posture and report anything suspicious so the proper authorities either inside of TVA or outside of it can take care of it," spokesman Tim Hopson said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact Claire Wiseman at 423-757-6347 or cwiseman@timesfreepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @clairelwiseman.