NATCHEZ — Reports of a suspicious powder found in a letter that temporarily cleared the parking lot at the downtown post office could be nothing more than drywall dust from a flood-damaged house in Baton Rouge.

Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Natchez police officers and Natchez firefighters responded to reports of suspicious package at approximately 10 a.m. Monday.

Natchez resident April Pintard said a powder spilled out of an envelope as she opened it in her car. Pintard was alarmed by the substance and was on the phone with her husband, Scott, who advised her to call the sheriff’s office.

Soon after, Natchez police officers and sheriff deputies, closed off the south parking lot where Pintard’s car was parked.

Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford and other officials from his office also responded to the incident.

Using the return address on the envelope and the name on a check in the letter, officials were able to contact the person who sent the letter, Bradford said.

The envelope came from a Baton Rouge-area residence that was being renovated after it was damaged by flooding earlier this year, Bradford said. Because new drywall was being installed in the house at the time the letter was sent, officials determined that the powder was more than likely  dust from the construction work.

The envelope and its contents were bagged and sent to the Mississippi Homeland Security Office in Jackson to be tested, Bradford said.