New Orleans Increases Security for Mardi Gras Following Deadly Vehicle Attack

‘This is a work in progress, and we’re committed to doing everything necessary to ensure public safety,’ Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

Parade-goers try to catch beads thrown from floats during the Krewe of Bacchus Mardi Gras parade on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans on March 2, 2014. Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

With New Orleans expecting more than a million visitors for its annual Mardi Gras festival this week, the city is asking for federal help to ensure there is not a repeat of the deadly attack that left at least 14 pedestrians dead and more than 30 injured when a man plowed a vehicle into a crowd on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day.

After the attack was originally investigated as a potential terrorist attack, the FBI said the suspect appeared to have acted alone, despite his ties to ISIS.