[Texasforever]

I am afraid that the Astrodome is going to become the Superdome in a very short time. That building is pushing 50 years old and it is far from up the the challenge. The plumbing, electrical and airconditiong systems are designed for peak use for one event and then maintenance between events. There are 84 showers and toilets in the building to accommodate the 15,000 people that are now full time in the building. Unless these folks take responsibility for keeping that 50 year old plumbing clear they will have a sanitation problem in short order. I don't see how the air handling system can keep up with 24 hour demand for long without major downtime for maintenance. I have been to many events in the Dome and I can tell you that you do not want to enter the bathroom area after the first 2 hours because, by then most toilets are clogged and overflowing.

[hoosiermama]

The Astro dome is gain temporary housing....They are starting to meet with each family on Monday to see if there is family or somewhere else they have connections to.....Brooms were passed out this afternoon and it's being reorganized into family areas, gereactric groups, couples,singles etc.....for multiple reasons...BTW did you see, where one family had brought their tents and had them set up in one area.

[PhiKapMom]

I thought maybe they had remodeled the Astrodome. I never went to the restrooms after the 2nd quarter of a football game or 5th inning of baseball for the very same reason when I used to take the kids there from Boerne. Sounds like things didn't change.

Last time I was at a football game there between the Oilers/Steelers, it was very hot in there and the a/c didn't seem to be working right.

This is a prescription for trouble.

[Spktyr]

The Astrodome actually was designed as an emergency shelter, though.

And that ventilation systems has been upgraded at least three times that I can think of. The big problem it has is that it can't be turned off - so they keep it at a nice 72F inside 24/7/365.

The last upgrade was in the early 90s. Also, they limited people in the Astrodome to 12K, sending the rest to Reliant and the convention center.
12K people can camp out in the Astrodome for quite a while without taxing it too much.