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National Mall evacuation update: Storm forces closure in Washington, DC; are July 4 fireworks still on?
Severe storms forced thousands to evacuate the National Mall during Freedom 250 and July 4th fireworks celebrations in Washington, DC.
Severe weather prompted federal officials to issue an evacuation alert Saturday evening as thousands gathered on the National Mall for Freedom 250 celebrations in Washington DC, the Great American State Fair and the annual Salute to America fireworks display.
Why the evacuation alert was issued
The National Park Service issued a weather evacuation alert around 7:15pm, asking fireworks visitors to seek shelter and follow directions from park rangers, law enforcement personnel and other event staff, as per WUSA 9. “Due to the severe weather in the area, we are asking visitors to seek shelter,” the agency said in a social media post.
About 20 minutes later, Freedom 250 organizers escalated the alert, telling attendees to immediately evacuate event grounds and seek temporary shelter in nearby buildings as severe storms approached the area.
“The safety of our guests, performers, and staff is our top priority,” Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said in a statement. “Due to approaching severe storms, Freedom 250, United States Secret Service, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and all public safety partners are asking all guests to evacuate event grounds and seek temporary shelter in a nearby building.”
The alert came as thunderstorms moved through the Washington area.
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There is no update yet on whether the fireworks display in DC will go ahead.
Meanwhile, plans for fireworks were still moving forward in other cities including Chicago and New York, where tall ships passed the Statue of Liberty earlier in the day, as per DC News Now.
Where visitors were told to shelter
Organizers directed visitors to shelter at the Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Internal Revenue Service building, Voice of America building, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Ronald Reagan Building, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
According to a post by Anthony Guglielmi, attendees already within the secure area are being directed to designated shelter locations by Secret Service personnel, US Park Police and event staff.
“No one is being admitted at this time. This action was taken solely in the interest of public safety, and we have no estimate for when screening may resume,” Guglielmi said in the post.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 10pm, according to WTOP. The extreme heat warning that had been in place has been canceled, but a Code Purple Air Quality Alert remains active, meaning air quality is considered unhealthy for everyone, per the outlet.
