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Tuesday, Jan. 21: WRKF's HD/FM broadcast is operating at reduced power in response to weather conditions. Online listening is not affected. We expect to resume normal operations Wednesday night. Thank you for your patience.

Latest on Bourbon Street attack: pedicab driver’s firsthand account; security failures; blood donation ramps up

People wait in line to donate blood at a donation site on the corner of Iberville and Canal Street
Halle Parker
/
WWNO
People wait in line to donate blood at a donation site on the corner of Iberville and Canal Street

Just after 3 a.m. on New Years Day, pedicab driver Tyler Burt was finishing his shift, when a white SUV turned the corner of Bourbon and Canal Street, running over the man he had been high-fiving as the truck rammed down the street.

In his first trip back to the French Quarter since the attack, Burt spoke with the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins about what he saw and how he’s coping.

Concerns over security failures have been a major part of the conversation ever since the Bourbon street attack. Bollards, the steel beams embedded in the ground meant to protect pedestrians from vehicle attacks, were not in place on New Year's Eve. City crews were in the process of installing new ones ahead of the Super Bowl.

Louisiana Considered’s Alana Schreiber spoke with Juliette Kayyem, a national security expert and senior lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School. They discussed why security on Bourbon Street was so ineffective and what needs to be done about it.

While Louisianans still have questions about what happened, many are focused on recovery efforts. In the days since the attack, blood drives have popped up across the city and thousands are coming out to donate.

Alana Schreiber visited one of those blood drives on the corner of Iberville and Canal Street to speak with residents who want to play a part in recovery efforts.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber and Drew Hawkins. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. We get production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts.

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Alana Schreiber is the managing producer for the live daily news program, Louisiana Considered. She comes to WWNO from KUNC in Northern Colorado, where she worked as a radio producer for the daily news magazine, Colorado Edition. She has previously interned for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.
Drew Hawkins is the health equity reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom. He covers stories related to health care access and outcomes across the region, with a focus on the social factors that drive disparities.