Tremendous Bowl's heightened safety is instantly evident in New Orleans forward of huge sport – USA TODAY

NEW ORLEANS – Bourbon Avenue seems, sounds and feels no totally different than regular – individuals holding daiquiris and hurricanes between sips, music blaring out of each institution, beads careening from balconies. 
The Nationwide Guard and Military personnel each dozens of steps or so, together with the rifles they’re holding, are a jumpcut again to actuality – and a sobering reminder of the New Year’s Day attack that left 14 individuals useless and wounded many extra. 
NFL chief of safety Cathy Lanier mentioned throughout a information convention Monday her staff’s job is to look at these occasions and ensure that the group just isn’t solely anticipatory however wanting ahead.
“We don’t need to focus solely on the final incident,” she mentioned. “We need to deal with being ready.” 
Safety plans are fluid and able to being modified on sport day relying on the state of affairs, Lanier added. The arrival of President Donald Trump on Sunday, making him the primary sitting president to attend the Tremendous Bowl, will solely induce a heightened safety atmosphere round Caesars Superdome.  
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
To start with, the Tremendous Bowl is categorized as a Particular Occasion Evaluation Score (SEAR) Degree 1 occasion by the Division of Homeland Safety, which requires shut coordination between state, native and federal legislation enforcement. Lanier had declined to disclose the variety of law enforcement officials helping in conserving town secure this week, however that it might be in “the 1000’s.” Lanier informed the Washington Put up lately she made “in all probability 10” visits to New Orleans to coordinate safety.  
Even earlier than Tremendous Bowl week started, the NFL and authorities promised a “seen legislation enforcement” presence all through town. That has actually been the case.
Accessing Bourbon Avenue, the safety equipment is straight away obvious. Anybody strolling with a handbag or bag has it searched at a checkpoint. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry created the safety zone round and together with Bourbon Avenue through an emergency order. 
All kinds of limitations stop autos from coming near accessing the well-known street of revelry, which was the positioning of tragedy within the early hours of Jan. 1.
Along with the 14 killed, dozens had been wounded in a truck assault on Bourbon Avenue that police say was perpetrated by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was fatally shot by police on the scene.
Jabbar rammed his truck onto the road that’s pedestrian-only; various kinds of limitations for blocks in all instructions from Bourbon Avenue are actually in place after bollards weren’t up previous to the assault. Two improvised explosive gadgets Jabbar had planted in coolers within the French Quarter didn’t detonate. 
The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ lodge is about 0.2 miles from the bottom of Bourbon Avenue on Canal Avenue. The quantity of cellular command and law-enforcement satellite tv for pc autos surrounding the Marriott is astounding.
Even Frenchmen Avenue, the dwell music and jazz epicenter of New Orleans, had an elevated police presence and was closed to autos. Boundaries additionally prevented entry from any intersecting roads. 
The Philadelphia Eagles’ police escort Monday from observe in close by Metaire, Louisiana, created a site visitors standstill on the Warehouse District exit off Interstate-10. That very same day, a pair of navy jets carried out coaching maneuvers over downtown a handful of instances. A low-flying helicopter hummed over town for a lot of the week. 
Airspace has grow to be an more and more worrisome battleground for the NFL lately. Final week, a man was arrested for flying a drone over M&T Bank Stadium throughout a Baltimore Ravens’ dwelling playoff sport that paused the proceedings. Organizers gained’t have to fret about that since Caesars Superdome is an enclosed venue, however the week operated underneath the second-highest ranking by way of airspace clearance. Drones all through the downtown space had been prohibited beginning Monday. On sport day, the restriction house is 30 nautical air miles, Lanier mentioned. 
On the bottom – on Bourbon Avenue, the French Quarter and the remainder of downtown – the nice instances have rolled all week. However throwing a celebration within the shadows of rifles and snipers on rooftops grew to become actuality for New Orleans, the NFL and Tremendous Bowl 59 after Jan. 1.   
Contributing: Tom Schad

source