New Orleans Saints- Rebirth

Louisiana Superdome the day after Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

It was August 29th, 2005 and the city of New Orleans was about to be changed forever, and would go through a rebirth stage that would test their resiliency and strength.  The category 3 storm would hit the city on that morning leaving extensive damage from it’s 140 mp/h winds.  Extreme flooding forced many people to leave their homes with no where to go.  Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were displaced from their homes, and experts estimate that Katrina caused more than $100 billion in damage.  Mayor Ray Nagin had issued the city’s first ever mandatory evacuation order and declared the Louisiana Superdome a shelter of last resort for people who could not leave the city.  112,000 of the 500,000 people who lived in New Orleans did not have access to a car and by the night before the storm hit, 80% of people had left the city, 15,000 people went to the Superdome, while the rest waited the storm out in their homes.  Two days after the storm the amount of people in the Superdome rose from 15,000 to 30,000.  Staff working in the building eventually had to lock the doors because they were running out of room and supplies for everyone. Within 3 days of the storm the Superdome had to be evacuated because supplies were gone and the building was about to lose power.  The after math of the storm left the city devastated and the Superdome unrecognizable.  Thus began the rebirth of New Orleans.

Rebirth

Apart fro the devastation and uncertainty Katrina left New Orleans in, one question lingered, ‘What would happen to their beloved New Orleans Saints?’  The Saints called the Superdome home and any wondered where they would play and if they would ever return to New Orleans again.  The spent the 2005-2006 NFL season playing home games at Alamodome Stadium, Tiger Stadium, and Giants Stadium while their home stadium was being rebuilt.  The Saints were the only thing the city of New Orleans had left and were a beacon of hope despite going 3-13 that season.  1 year later, and 21 months since their last home game, the New Orleans Saints returned home  on September 25th, 2006 for a prime time game on Monday night against division rivals, Atlanta Falcons.  After the Saints defense forced Mike Vick and the Falcons to punt, greatness happened.  Steve Gleason came bolting through the Falcons Offensive line and blocked the punt which was returned for a touchdown.  And just like that, the rebirth had almost come full circle.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkIflqthSVw)  The broadcast team remained silent for nearly a minute after the touchdown, and let 75,000 Saints fans do the talking for them.  Saints football was back and a sense of normalcy was brought back to the city, even if it was for only one night.  The people of New Orleans would wake up Tuesday morning and still face the same problems they’ve been dealing with since Katrina. But, Monday September 25th, 2006 is a day that everyone will remember as the rebirth of not only the Saints but the city of New Orleans.  And the whole city knows that the Falcons will remember, forever, the night they played the Saints.

“Anyone can see the adversity in a difficult situation, but it takes a stronger person to see the opportunity.” – Drew Brees

Steve Gleason rebirth statue located outside of the renamed Mercedes Benz Superdome