[SolomoninSouthDakota]

"Lost its structural integrity."

Thanks for listing the reason.

But I just find it implausible that the Superdome must be torn down. prior to the storm weren't they saying it was designed for winds greater than the 165 mph? I think an analogy to an old oak tree is fitting. It came through these winds (weren't the top gusts @ 150, steady winds at @110?). Sure it's a mess and would take much to clean and repair the roof. But that effort would be less than a drop in a bucket compared to first of all DEMOLISHING and the REBUILDING.
I would guess we will see two factions rising: one wanting to see the city restored to what it pretty much was--only better--and the other for just restoring the historical parts, the refineries and ports, and commercial parts.
I wonder if the faction for minimal restoration are making a quick push to demolish the landmark.

[jeffers]

The Dome is, well, a dome, but in principle, the physics works the same as an arch. The keystone of an arch transfers the load to the adjacent stones, and these carry the load to the footings.

The steel roof plates in the dome act like individual stones in an arch.

The "stones" in the Dome were flopping up and down when the eyewall passed.

Not a good sign for long term stability.