2005-08-31

Saints

By now images and stories of the devastation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are beginning to be reported. And for the time being the situation in New Orleans will get worse before it gets better. Levees holding back Lake Pontchartrain have been broken and authorities have been unable to repair them, which means the lake will continue to flood the city until the water level in New Orleans is even with the lake.

At a time like this it seems almost selfish to report on the Saints considering the many people who have died and the thousands that can not return to their homes.

Since it could be weeks, if not months before people can return to New Orleans, the Saints are looking to play in San Antonio. Parts of the Superdome's roof has been ripped off, and the Louisiana Governor has ordered the Superdome to be evacuated in the next two days because of flooding. The bottom picture is taken inside the Superdome, and the light streaming in is from a hole in the roof.

The Saints are looking to play at the Alamodome in San Antonio or possibly Reliant Stadium in Houston until they can safely return to New Orleans. San Antonio makes the most sense, since Saints owner Tom Benson has strong ties to San Antonio, the city where he made his fortune. The Saints first home game is September 18 against the Giants, which means the organization will need to make a decision soon on where they will play.

Another possibility would be playing closer to home, in LSU's stadium which actually holds more people than the Superdome. This would allow season ticket holders to attend the games, and keep the Saints in Louisiana. Baton Rouge is only an hour and a half from New Orleans, while San Antionio is eight and a half hours away.

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