As per reports, evacuation orders were issued at the National Mall in Washington DC, US, on Saturday (04 July) as severe thunderstorms developed near the area during Independence Day celebrations.
• Authorities, including the United States Secret Service, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and event organisers, urged attendees to evacuate the event grounds and move to designated temporary shelter locations.
• Designated shelter sites included nearby federal buildings and institutions, such as the Department of Commerce, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service, the VOA Building, and the Ronald Reagan Building.
• Additional shelter locations included Smithsonian museums such as the National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, along with the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
• Event organisers indicated that programming updates and reopening decisions would be communicated as weather conditions are monitored.
