Twenty years ago today, thousands of people entered the Superdome to take shelter from Hurricane Katrina, before it destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and took numerous lives. The next morning on August 29th, Katrina’s fierce winds peeled off sections of the Superdome roof. Doug Thornton was the general manager of the Dome at the time.
“It’s kind of like watching a school yard bully beat up your best friend, and there’s no way to stop it. The storm was just hammering the Superdome, and the water was pouring in, and you’re just helpless,” Thornton recalled.
The helpless feeling would last, as it took several days before those who rode out the storm in the Superdome were bused to Houston. A weary Thornton remembers the helicopter ride out of the city and he couldn’t believe the devastation he saw.
“As we left the city, I thought it was the last time that I would ever be here. I didn’t think that it would be an opportunity to come back and rebuild the Superdome or the city, or even my home,” Thornton said.
But Thornton would return and lead the effort to get the iconic stadium ready for football in September of 2006. He says it was not easy, as the repairs were expensive and getting the necessary materials and workers was also difficult.
Thornton gives credit to the late Kathleen Blanco, who was the governor at the time. He says Blanco was feeling pressure from the public to use federal recovery dollars to rebuild damaged hospitals, schools, roads and bridges.
“She also knew that the Superdome, the biggest symbol of misery and suffering during Katrina, if it could be repaired and we could jumpstart the recovery, people would believe that the rest of the city could be built,” Thornton said.
FEMA, the state of Louisiana and the NFL paid for the repairs to the Dome. Saints fans and many Louisiana residents will tell you it was worth the $336 million cost as the Saints won their first game back and the franchise had its best season to date, reaching the NFC title game, lifting the spirits of many.
