Debris from a fallen building covers several buildings in downtown New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Posted on 08/29/2005 7:23:46 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW ORLEANS - Hurricane Katrina ripped away part of the roof on the Louisiana Superdome as thousands of storm refugees huddled inside Monday.
Strips of metal were peeled away, creating two holes that were visible from the floor of the huge arena. Water dripped in and people were moved away from about five sections of seats directly below.
Others watched as sheets of metal flapped visibly and noisily. From the floor, more than 19 stories below the dome, the openings appeared to be 6 feet long.
"The superdome is not in any dangerous situation," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said.
General Manager Glenn Menard said he did not know how serious the problem was. "We have no way of getting anyone up there to look," he said.
Aside from the tear in the huge roof, the 77,000-seat steel-framework stadium, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, provided few comforts but at least had bathrooms and food donated by charities.
The wind that howled around the dome during the night was not heard in the interior of the building where the refugees were kept.
"Everybody slept last night. They didn't seem to have any problems," said Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., in charge of the medical shelter in the Superdome. "They slept all over the place."
Power failed in the Superdome around 5 a.m. Monday, triggering groans from the crowd. Emergency generators kicked in, but the backup power runs only reduced lighting, not the air conditioning.
The Superdome opened its doors at noon Sunday, and New Orleans' most frail residents got priority. The stadium is by far the most solid of the Big Easy's 10 refuges for the estimated 100,000 city residents who don't have the means, or strength, to join a mandatory evacuation.
"They hadn't opened up and let us in here, there'd have been a lot of people floating down river tomorrow," said Merrill Rice, 64. "If it's as bad as they say, I know my old house won't stand it."
Residents lined up for blocks, clutching meager belongings and crying children as National Guardsman searched them for guns, knives and drugs.
Then Katrina's rain began, drenching hundreds of people still outside, along with their bags of food and clothing. Eventually, the searches were moved inside to the Superdome floor, where some people wrapped themselves in blankets and tried to sleep.
It was almost 10:30 p.m. before the last person was searched and sent to the lowest level of seats. Superdome regional vice president Doug Thornton estimated 8,000 to 9,000 were in the building when the doors finally closed for the 11 p.m. curfew.
More than 600 people with medical needs were inside. "And we sent another 400 to hospitals," said Gen. Ralph Lupin, who commands the 550 National Guard troops in the Dome.
"We've got sick babies, sick old people and everything in between," Stephens said. "We're seen strokes, chest pain, diabetes patients passing out, seizures, people without medicine, people with the wrong medicine. It's been busy."
Several of those taken to hospitals Sunday had chest pain, but as the heart of the storm approached on Monday, Stephens added that "anything like that has to be handled here. There's no way we can take anybody anywhere."
Thornton worried about how everyone would fare over the next few days, especially if water pressure fails.Portable toilets were ordered.
"We're expecting to be here for the long haul," he said. "We can make things very nice for 75,000 people for four hours. But we aren't set up to really accommodate 8,000 for four days."
The refugees were not allowed to spread out on the football field, sitting instead in stadium seats in case of flooding.
Morris Bivens, 53, a painter, came to the dome with his wife, daughter and five granddaughters ranging in age from 1 to 9.
"I had to come," he said. "Not for me. I ride these out all the time. But I knew I couldn't save those children in this one if something happened."
Actually, one of the better uses for government is helping people through disasters like these. Especially when that same government has, in all likelihood, siphoned off monies that were originally designated for emergency preparedness, such as levee work, pumps, and shelters. I don't know if that's the case for this hurricane, but I lived in New Orleans off and on for a little over 15 years, and saw this kind of graft first hand.
Another thing I'm hearing--hoping someone can verify or shoot down--is that the city shut down the buses. A lot of people in New Orleans don't have cars, not just the poor, but also students at the universities (where parking is almost an impossibility) and wealthier folks in areas like the French Quarter (again, the parking thing).
It's not that people expect "the government" to take care of them--it's that they never thought any of this would happen. That lack of thinking, I might add, extends all the way to the office of the governor of the state.
Yep, and they are currently beating the Saints 21-3.
Sometimes your only choices are between the "bad" choice and the "even worse" choice. The Superdome was the "bad" choice.
Prayers for all the displaced people in the area of the storm.
Debris from a fallen building covers several buildings in downtown New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Yep, and they are currently beating the Saints 21-3.
LOL!
And somewhere the Saints owner is doing the happy dance, he's been trying to screw the city out of a new stadium for a long time. Hope everybody is OK.
wow, graft and corruption in Lousiana? Who'd a thunk it?
Last year I went through two hurricanes in 10 days. The govt. didn't do nearly what was accomplished by churches and local charities.
The response form electrical companies from as far away as montana and canada and everywhere in between was fantastic. Hell a french canadian electric cooperative got my electricity back after 8 days the first time and 13 days after the second we finally got electricity.
Seems like you say Florida Power and light had cut back on its repair devision to save a billion dollars then voted themselves on the board of directors a large bonus in the millions each.
Yep, Tom Benson is probably thrilled. The Saints next home game is in 3 weeks, but I'm not going to hold my breath expecting the roof to be fixed by then. The next question is, where are they going to play until it's fixed?
Ah yes, the terror of Bovine Generated Hydrocarbon Emissions (BGHE). The planet is doomed by ruminants, doomed I tell you! Ruminants, and those double-grande burrito combo plates at Taco Bell; a deadly duo!
"Ruminants, and those double-grande burrito combo plates at Taco Bell; a deadly duo!"
LOL!! Lest we forget -- there are ruminant parts in those double-double-grande-grande BURP-ritos!!! Beans AND ruminants -- double-trouble!!
A lot of that will probably depend on the structural soundness, as long as they don't have to worry about chunks falling off I say play in the stadium, open air teams are better than dome teams anyway could be good for the Saints. Short of that find a nearish college to borrow.
Closest is Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, but they're renovating the stadium(it's behind schedule), so they may not want crowds on a Sunday when the crews can be working, plus it could turn into a p*ssing match between the Saints and LSU. The only other stadium in the state that's really large enough for an NFL game is in Shreveport, which is about a 5 hour drive from New Orleans. I already have a good idea where they will go if the Superdome isn't ready for a game, but it's out of state, and another shot by Benson across the Louisiana governor's bow...
A vehicle makes its way through a flooded street from the overflowing Grande Lagoon in Pensacola, Fla., as Hurricane Katrina passes through the area, Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Peter Cosgrove)
An Interstate-10 sign is nearly underwater near downtown New Orleans on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina battered the coast with strong winds and heavy rains when it came ashore near Grand Isle. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
Prolly at LSU.
I would guess that it would have to be at a stadium that is:
A. Large enough to handle the Saints season ticket holders, and
B. Somewhere within a reasonable driving distance.
I seem to recall the Saints playing at Tulane, but I'm sure that this was pre-SuperDome. Probably way too small to accommodate the Saints ticketholders.
American football's New Orleans Saints could be marching out of the storm-damaged Superdome, seen here, and moving next week's workouts for their season opener to Texas because of damage here from Hurricane Katrina(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)
NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) - American football's New Orleans Saints could be marching out of the storm-damaged Superdome and moving next week's workouts for their season opener to Texas because of damage here from Hurricane Katrina.
Two holes were punched in the roof of the 80,000-seat domed stadium Monday as people took refuge inside, trying to escape the hurricane's fury. Flooding and wind damage was expected to take a heavy toll on the surrounding area.
The National Football League club flew Sunday to San Jose, California, to escape the storm's wrath. The Saints play their final pre-season exhibition game at Oakland on Thursday before returning here to assess the damage.
"Our plans for flying home will be determined once we see what kind of condition the city is in," Saints spokesman Greg Nensel said. "We are all hoping for the best for the city and the people that remain."
Club officials were looking at conducting next week's workouts, ahead of their September 11 opener at Carolina, in Houston or Dallas, Texas, or possibly at Louisiana college facilities in Shreveport or Lafayette, depending on the damage in New Orleans.
The Saints' home opener against the New York Giants on September 18 will be played, but whether the game is played in the Superdome will depend upon the recovery of the city and stadium over the next three weeks.
Relocating the game to another city would not be unprecedented. On October 27, 2003, the San Diego Chargers lost 26-10 to Miami in Tempe, Arizona, while their home stadium was being used as a shelter for wildfire evacuation victims.
The Saints were forced to relocate workouts to San Antonio, Texas, for a week last season when Hurricane Ivan struck the area, although they were able to host San Francisco that week as scheduled.
Also suffering roof damage was the 18,500-seat New Orleans Arena, the 112 million-dollar home of the National Basketball Association's New Orleans Hornets.
The arena, completed in 1999, is not set to host another Hornets game until an October 20 pre-season exhibition against reigning NBA champion San Antonio.
The Hornets' first regular season home game is not scheduled until November 4 against Sacramento.
Louisiana State University's American football team called off Monday's practice but still planned to open the season by playing host to North Texas State on Saturday at Baton Rouge, northwest of New Orleans.
Tulane University's American football squad moved to Jackson, Mississippi. The Green Wave continued preparations there for Sunday's opener at Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
Southern Mississippi's Golden Eagles practiced Sunday and took Monday off to weather the storm, planning to resume workouts Tuesday.
"We hope we can play this game," Eagles coach Jeff Bower said. "I hope that the weather won't be as bad as people are saying it could be. We're going to hunker down and be safe for a while."
The New Orleans Zephyrs, the top development team for Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals, called off their final two home games against Iowa due to the hurricane.
An overturned car sits in front of the Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina pounded a swath of the US Gulf coast with rare fury, causing widespread damage in New Orleans but failing to deliver a feared catastrophic blow to the low-lying port city.(AFP/Getty Images/Mario Tama)
Tyrell Willis fights his way through strong winds as he tries to make his way to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina batters the Crescent City on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. Willis's home was damaged by the storm, forcing him to walk to the Superdome where officials are providing shelter from the hurricane. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
Arnold James tries to keep his feet as a strong gust nearly blows him over as he tries to make his way on foot to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. The roof on James's home blew off, forcing him to seek shelter at the Superdome. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
New Orleans residents sit in the Superdome which is being used as an emergency shelter. Hurricane Katrina has claimed its first victims in Louisiana as it neared landfall, dumping torrential rain on the southern state and other parts of the US Gulf of Mexico coast and threatening death and massive destruction.(AFP/Getty Images/Mario Tama)
Tulane Stadium is long gone. They tore it down in the late 70's-early 80's. Tulane plays a game or two each season at Tad Gormley in City Park, but it's really a high school stadium.
Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge can handle the crowd and the TV cameras, but with the renovations, and the fact that both teams fight for the affections of the state, it's no guarantee that the Saints would be welcomed.
That leaves Independance Stadium in Shreveport, which would probably be thrilled to have the Saints play a game or two up there, but it's a longstanding joke that Shreveport is a suburb of Dallas, and it's clear across the state from most of the Saints' ticket holders.
My guess is that if the Dome isn't repaired in time, they'll make a token effort at moving to Baton Rouge, then move the home games to San Antonio. Benson would move the team there in a heartbeat if the local pols yield to his annual blackmail, and this is a golden opportunity to up the ante...
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