A crowd of Americans did not let a severe weather warning stop them from partying at the Salute to America event in Washington, DC, on the Fourth of July.
Video footage from Salem News Channel showed the group dancing and having a good time on the street outside the event as thunder storms were moving through the area:
Federal officials issued an evacuation alert Saturday evening while thousands of visitors were enjoying Fourth of July festivities on the National Mall, WUSA 9 reported.
However, the outlet said in an update “The National Mall will reopen Saturday night after a weather-related evacuation interrupted Freedom 250 celebrations, the Great American State Fair and the annual Salute to America fireworks program.”
The fireworks display was reportedly going to be the “largest” of its kind in American history, lasting 40 minutes and using 850,000 fireworks, according to Breitbart News.
In a social media post at 6:32 p.m., Freedom 250 said federal authorities asked guests to evacuate the event grounds and seek shelter inside nearby buildings.
“Available shelter locations include the Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Internal Revenue Service, VOA Building, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, the African American Museum, and the Ronald Reagan Building. Please remain calm, follow the directions of law enforcement and event staff, and stay tuned to Freedom 250’s official channels for updates,” the organization said:
The temperature in D.C. rose to 102 degrees on Saturday, breaking a Fourth of July record of 100 degrees set in 1919, according to NBC Washington.
According to the WUSA article, event organizers said the National Mall would reopen at 9:45 p.m.
“The Salute to America celebration will proceed, with President Donald Trump scheduled to deliver remarks at 11 p.m., followed by a fireworks display,” the report stated.
Indeed, Fox News’s Bret Baier said President Trump called him to say he was going to deliver his speech “no matter what” because America’s veterans went through “bad weather” on D-Day during World War II and he was not going to let bad weather stop him, either:
In another show of American spirit, a large crowd of people sheltering from the incoming weather inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) building began singing the National Anthem:
In light of the update for the event’s reopening, Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said, “America, it’s time to celebrate.”
“Rain or shine, the American people deserve a celebration worthy of our nation’s historic 250th birthday. For 250 years, Americans have overcome every challenge with grit, resilience, and determination. A little rain will never diminish our pride, our patriotism, or our celebration of the greatest nation in the history of the world,” she stated.
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