In the wake of a deadly New Year's Day attack on a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame at the Superdome has been postponed until Thursday.

"The Sugar Bowl Committee has a 90-year history of being a good corporate citizen for the city of New Orleans, and that's why this tragedy hurts us as much as anybody right now," Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said Wednesday afternoon. "All parties and all agree that it's in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game."

Originally set for 7:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday, the game now will kick off at 3 p.m. CST on Thursday. 

Hundley originally said the game would be postponed 24 hours, but Notre Dame, Georgia and the College Football Playoff submitted requests to New Orleans authorities to have the kickoff time moved to earlier in the day, prompting the 4 p.m. kickoff.

Hundley said officials were working to make sure the game would be "a safe, efficient, and fun environment for tomorrow night." 

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry sought to reassure football fans that the Sugar Bowl would be safe for everyone to attend.

"For the citizens out there that were thinking, 'Oh man, do I really want to go to the Sugar Bowl tomorrow?' I'll tell you one thing, your governor's going to be there. That is proof, believe you me, that that facility and this city is safer today than it was yesterday," he said.

The Sugar Bowl Committee said in a statement that it is "devastated by the terrible events from early this morning."

In a statement, the University of Notre Dame said it was "working with law enforcement and others to determine the full scope and impact of the tragedy."

Notre Dame also asked fans to "join us in prayer for those injured and lost in this senseless act of violence," and invited anyone who was already in New Orleans to join them for a previously scheduled mass Wednesday morning.

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman emphasized Wednesday that the game is secondary to what the city of New Orleans is going through right now.

"We're hurting for all those affected by this tragedy. The city of New Orleans has welcomed us with open arms, and we join them in prayers for all those victims and families," Freeman said. "You know, what I told the teams is, you know, in the toughest moments, the culture of any program; of a nation is revealed, and I have a lot of faith this country will rally around New Orleans and support all the victims and families that are affected."

The University of Georgia released its own statement on social media.

"We are horrified and saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred in the early hours of New Year's Day in New Orleans. University personnel are working to determine if any UGA students, faculty, staff, alumni or fans were among the victims. We offer our deepest condolences to all the victims and their families, and we stand in solidarity with the New Orleans community," the statement reads. 

Parts of Bourbon Street have been closed off from Canal Street to St. Anne in the wake of the attack, the FBI said.

"There's so much to enjoy about New Orleans... making sure that our routes and the Superdome are safe today for the game," New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said. "We had this tragic event, and we're sorry again to everyone in our community, but we do want you to go about the day, just stay away from Bourbon."

A man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m., killing at least 15 people, and sending dozens more others to the hospital. The FBI said the driver was killed in a firefight with police.

"This man was trying to run over as many people as he could," said Kirkpatrick, adding that two police officers were hit by gunfire but were in a stable condition. A long gun was recovered from the scene, law enforcement sources told CBS News. 

Mayor LaToya Cantrell referred to it as a likely "terrorist attack," and the FBI said in a news release that they are investigating it "as an act of terrorism." 

• My husband died when I was 46, and I received a wake-up call about financial preparedness.
• His life insurance policy was a lifesaver as I developed a more long-term plan for our family.
• I sought professional advice to get through that time, and I'm glad I did.

In the wee hours of the morning, several days after my husband's death in 2003 from sudden cardiac arrest, I awoke out of breath, my heart racing. Would my daughters be able to stay in their schools? Could I continue to pay the mortgage on our home?

When my husband accepted his first overseas diplomatic assignment, I gave up my career. Once back in the States, I began to slowly rebuild my professional life, but I was far behind my peers in earning power and savings. Still, I didn't worry too much about our income and my slow-growing 403b. We weren't diligent savers; we had mortgages, car loans, and two children in private schools. We relied on the assumption that Uncle Sam had our backs.

Insurance was a lifesaver for me during that time

Suddenly, with a base salary of $42,000 a year, I became responsible for my two teenage daughters and, as an only child, my elderly mom. My husband had good life insurance in place (with his morbid sense of humor, he often joked about how "well off" I'd be when he died), which was a godsend, but I needed to understand how to use our money efficiently.

Most financial experts say you should have enough money in your emergency savings fund to cover three to six months' worth of living expenses. Being unprepared is exacerbated if you are not used to navigating the finances. In my case, I was aware of our position in general terms, but large decisions, such as our daughters' education and buying or selling a home or vehicle, were always joint.

As my husband's beneficiary, I received his federal life insurance payout. Early on, I received incorrect information, leading me to believe that I needed to keep the insurance payout I received in the low-interest settlement account. Learning that I was able to move it to an account that delivered a higher rate of return eased a lot of stress. My initial priority was not investing but making sure I had enough money coming in to pay our bills. I chose to work with an advisor at our credit union to invest the money in instruments that would conserve — and hopefully increase — my principal and provide an income stream to supplement my small salary.

I developed a long-term financial plan

My advisor suggested investments that would help me achieve the goals we had planned for our daughters. I was happy to learn I'd be able to keep my younger daughter in parochial high school and enable my older daughter to remain at her current college. Next, I paid off some high-interest items with part of the insurance money, which eased the burden on my modest income and saved me from having to make large draws from our investment accounts. Later, I tackled estate planning issues such as updating my own will and beneficiaries on all financial items.

Even though I knew how to access our bill-paying software and bank accounts, having no real savings of my own and a meager retirement plan due to contributions of only the 10 years we'd been back in the States made me anxious. The reality of planning a possible solo retirement made me again wish I'd been wiser about my personal saving practices. Soon after tragedy strikes, many widows and widowers rush to make huge — and sometimes unwise —

major financial decisions. A short time after my husband's death, I considered selling our home. but an accountant friend advised me to wait until I was on steadier emotional ground. I'm glad I did because the house appreciated in value, and I was able to secure a good price when I did sell it 15 years later.

I learned a lot about financial preparedness when I became a young widow

In my grief support group, I saw firsthand others having to sell homes or move in with family after losing a spouse or partner's income. I know I was fortunate because of my husband's foresight in planning for a future that did not include him. Because my life insurance had always come as a benefit of my employment, I purchased additional insurance to guarantee that the girls would have some assets should my financial situation change, or I could no longer work.

Even though I learned a lot by becoming a young widow, I wish I'd known more about financial planning before tragedy struck. Having to shoulder the weight of a family's financial present and future only added to my already fragile emotional state. At least, seeking both professional and personal help and a dose of strategic planning eased one of the burdens I felt immediately after my husband's death.