Posted on 09/08/2005 12:08:22 AM PDT by BurbankKarl
The Superdome just turned 30 years old. It may not see 31. Over the next few months, Gov. Kathleen Blanco will have to decide whether to invest at least $100 million for repairs or just bulldoze it.
Long a New Orleans landmark, the Louisiana Superdome during the days that followed Hurricane Katrina became the symbol of government's failure to provide adequate relief to storm victims.
After stories of extreme deprivation, tens of thousands of storm victims were evacuated from the Superdome, the last climbing aboard buses Saturday.
The damage left by the storm and the evacuees is extensive but will take 60 days to properly assess, said Doug Thornton, a regional vice president with the company that manages the state-owned facility.
Blanco is responsible for deciding the future of building. She has not held a news conference since Monday. Her staff has not responded to multiple inquiries on the issue since Tuesday afternoon.
Waist-high water flooded the streets around the stadium. Two inches of water and sewage were on the field where the New Orleans Saints play their football games.
The roof, electrical system and plumbing, seats, elevators and escalators were damaged.
"It's very early at this point to speculate about the future of the Dome and whether it can be repaired," Thornton said.
The Superdome served as the "refuge of last resort" for people who could not afford or otherwise did not evacuate the city.
Three large holes and eight smaller punctures damaged the roof, designed to withstand 140 mph winds.
The 3-year-old roof is built in layers with 2-inch thick foam atop a sheet-metal decking, then a white-colored rubber surface.
The storm lifted the rubber coating off the roof. "Once you peel one surface off, it peels like an onion," said Thornton, adding that 70 percent of the roof failed.
The damage to the roof let in water and debris, destroying the electrical system, prying loose ceiling tiles and wetting the dry wall.
Water pressure was lost, which caused the plumbing to stop working. The building's floors became slick with sewer water and human waste from overflowing toilets. The mess has spread onto the football field.
Thornton said he hopes the death and destruction that occurred at the facility during the hurricane, won't color decisions on the Dome's future.
"Ironically, it was 30 years old in August and there were a lot of good memories in the Dome," Thornton said. Final Fours, Super Bowls, a papal visit, concerts.
"Certainly there are a lot of bad memories, but there are good memories. It could be a symbol, perhaps, for the rebuilding of New Orleans," Thornton said.
It has become a symbol of everything that went wrong in New Orleans..
It is now nothing but a big, bad, memory that nobody wants to be reminded of..
She sure has a problem with making a decsion and sticking to it.
And if there was a bloody riot on Main Street would you
(1) Clean up the gore and open it back up to the public?
(2) Tear up the street and lay new asphalt?
This was the Main Street of football in New Orleans. Until those levees have been built up to withstand cat 5 storm surges, not an unnecessary penny should be spent in New Orleans.
As soon as she sees how many BILLIONS in pork she will have to build a new one.
I think we need a commission to study the alternatives. I imagine she'll get back to us in about 24 hours about whether she'll form such a commission.
Blanco couldn't decide her way out of a paper bag.
But she might cry though.
Well. she did make one decision and stick to it. Don't let in the Red Cross,or FEMA,! We don't want these people to be fed or have water !CAUSE IF THEY'RE TOO COMFORTABLE THEY MIGHT STAY.Better to starve and dehydrate them to death and have them move on.That's one decision she has stuck to, to this day!
Abu Gharib syndrome.
Assets for a politician, liabilities for a leader.
You know it's there but you ain't bending down to find it !
BINGO! We have a winnah!
FWIW...here are a couple of what I thought were interesting facts about the dome I foulnd while doing research for news stories.
Construction started on the Louisiana Superdome on August 11, 1971 and was finished in November 1975. An old cemetery was demolished to make space for it; some superstitious locals attribute the poor record of the New Orleans Saints to bad luck produced by disturbing the tombs.
The Superdome is built to withstand catastrophes; the roof is built to stand up to 200 MPH wind and even deep flood water wouldn't reach the second level 35 feet from the ground. It has thus been used as an emergency shelter but is not designed for the task; in 1998 during Hurricane Georges problems included looting and supplying 14,000 people with necessities.
prisoner6
All things considered, maybe they should call it the SuperTomb
That's idiocy
Maybe Tombstone Pizza could be signed on as a sponsor.
Her indecisiveness was deadly.
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