New Orleans ramps up security as 120,000 visitors descend on city for Super Bowl just weeks after terror attack
After a New Year’s Day terror attack struck New Orleans’ historic French Quarter, city officials say they are confident in the security plans they have in place for Sunday’s Super Bowl.More than 125,000 visitors — including President Donald Trump — are expected to converge on the Big Easy this week for days of revelry capped off by the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome to crown this season’s NFL champion.Following the ISIS-inspired truck-ramming attack in which 14 people were killed and dozens more injured along Bourbon Street, one of the city’s most famous thoroughfares, alleged security lapses triggered multiple lawsuits and investigations.But the city, the NFL and law enforcement officials insist that after more than a year of preparations, they are ready to play host.“We’re going above and beyond what we’ve seen in the past when we’ve hosted previously,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.“We know we’re safer than we’ve ever been before.”Approximately 2,000 law enforcement officers will be present for the Super Bowl, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters Wednesday.No vehicle traffic will be allowed on the Bourbon Street, and the city will block intersections leading to the most popular areas, Kirkpatrick said.Security has had to “heighten” with Trump’s visit announced on Tuesday, and the city “will have to shut down some additional streets a little longer in order to provide a safe corridor for him,” Kirkpatrick said.Drones are prohibited above downtown New Orleans and around the Superdome in the days leading up to the game, and there will be flight restrictions up to 18,000 feet (5,486 meters), according to the Federal Aviation Administration.Armed federal air marshals will be stationed around the city’s transportation hubs, scanning for suspicious people or activities and guarding against drones, said Noel Curtin, super...