Most people probably do not realize that Altoona and Johnstown have been potential terrorism targets for a long time, not just since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

For example, if Germany and Japan would have been capable of attacking the United States mainland during World War II, these two industrial communities could have been prime targets, because of the nation’s transportation capabilities that Altoona helped make possible and the critical steelmaking capacity that Johnstown provided to the war effort.

Consider the important support roles of the two communities during the Cold War, including when the former Soviet Union was under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, who threatened this county with the boast that “We will bury you.”

Later came that fateful September 2001 morning when terrorism entered a new era, launching protective measures of a scope that this country never before had contemplated.

Not only were America and its citizenry fixated on the need to apprehend and punish Osama bin Laden, but what emerged was a beefed-up mindset about the need to protect public resources such as the power grid, water and sanitary-sewer facilities, transportation, manufacturing and the information and communications networks — and there were myriad additional points of realization and focus.

The central point of all that was America could no longer harbor a lackadaisical attitude about safeguarding its infrastructure and the important tentacles emanating from it.

In the years since September 11, there have been sporadic terrorism episodes that have shaken feelings of security that citizens of this land embraced for most of their lives, and public utilities have been a prime target of many of those feared events.

People of Altoona and Johnstown, as well as citizens of other communities across this country, need to recognize and acknowledge that the evil terrorist elements are no longer someone else’s problem, and that while they might not be here yet, that could change drastically at any time.

Which brings us to the Altoona Water Authority’s adoption of a “zero trust model” regarding protection of authority assets, especially the water that is so essential to the lives of the authority’s customers.

Not only Altoona, but other communities in Blair County and beyond, have become increasingly terrorism-conscious and have already taken steps to identify and intercept efforts aimed at doing harm or are engaged in actively planning for such capabilities.

For Mirror readers, reporter William Kibler’s front-page article last weekend about local agencies ramping up security after “state, national cyberattacks on water supplies” should have been eye-opening and a source of assurance that the local region is not tuned out about the possibility that cities like Altoona and Johnstown could be terrorist-targeted because of national security relevance.

In the article Aaron Moyer, the Altoona Water Authority’s IT services coordinator, explained how the authority is beefing up security.

The effort still is a work in progress, Moyer said, and the authority has been trying to build up its security “a layer at a time,” without spending “a ridiculous amount of money.”

It is hard to envision a world of the future where ramped-up security won’t be necessary. That is why what is being done at present should never be pooh-poohed as irrelevant, nor actually be discouraged in any way.

America received a harsh lesson about preparedness in 2001. Going forward, it never should open itself up to another one.