The truck attack on Bourbon Street is also impacting visitors going to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
A Connecticut man who was there for the game talked about his experience in the aftermath of the horror.
“The mood in the city yesterday was very somber,” Kevin Hines, of Berlin, said.
Walking in the French Quarter, he describes the atmosphere in New Orleans just a day after a deadly terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people.
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“This wasn't the experience that anyone wants to have,” he said.
Hines flew to New Orleans with his high school buddies for the Sugar Bowl as longtime Notre Dame football fans. They arrived before the attack happened.
Hines said it was chaotic in the French Quarter, where their hotel is located. He’s been to the Big Easy many times before, but said he's never seen the city uneasy like this.
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“They're taking this very seriously, of course. Obviously, no one is really concerned about sports or the game right now,” Hines said.
The Sugar Bowl was postponed for a day, and Hines said that news felt irrelevant for them and others trying to process what happened.
“We're worried about what was going on in the city and hoping that the people that were affected by this are, you know, doing OK,” he said.
He said there was heavy security in the city with police patrols everywhere.
“I haven't heard one argument yet and not a lot of smiles, but everyone's trying to just get through it,” he said.
Hines said while he feels fortunate to still attend the Sugar Bowl with his friends, his heart remains with the victims and the city.
“I don't think anyone is really concerned about the outcome of the game tonight and we just want a safe event where people can be happy,” he said.
Hines said he and his friends want to hold some sort of fundraiser here in Connecticut for the victims of the Bourbon Street attack.
