Safety and security can come in strange ways and sometimes made with interesting materials.

For thousands of Miss-Lou residents, safety and security comes in the form of dirt and grass.

The miles of levees that contain the Mississippi River flowing through our community have protected lives and property in our community for decades.

In April 2008, those levees saw more pressure by the Mighty Mississippi than they’d seen in years and years.

Near record floodwaters pushed both the levees — and the nerves of residents, too — as the water rose and rose.

While the levees were far from being compromised, improving the levees and making them stronger is always a good idea.

A new $8 million project will do just that for 4.1 miles of levee near Vidalia. The project will raise the levees to a level that is expected to handle a 500-year flood. Let’s hope none of us ever has to learn what exactly a 500-year flood would look like, but let’s be thankful for the project.

Improving the levee will go a long way toward strengthening the comfort, safety and security of the residents living behind the levee.