Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Wednesday announced an emergency declaration to bring together federal, state and local resources.
“The mission now is to facilitate support and coordinate safety procedures to keep our residents and our visitors safe,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell told a news conference Wednesday afternoon, urging the public not to get close to the scene “if there is no essential need to do so.”
Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley announced that the American college football game scheduled for Wednesday in nearby venue in New Orleans will be postponed to Thursday.
“The Superdome is going to be safe tomorrow night,” former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu told media.
The FBI Houston and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office “are currently conducting law enforcement activity” in north Houston “related to this morning’s New Orleans attack,” the FBI said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The attack is the latest one of high-profile vehicle attacks on crowds around the world in years. The deadliest one occurred in July 2016, when a man drove a heavy truck to strike hundreds of people who were gathering to watch Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, France, leaving 84 people dead and more than 200 others injured. The IS claimed it was responsible for the attack.