Hurricane Ida-displaced Saints practise in Dallas
Widespread destruction. Stunned survivors wading out of flooded neighbourhoods, or waiting on rooftops to be rescued. Electrical-power and phone-service disruptions everywhere.
Yes, New Orleans has been here before, so too the entire central U.S. Gulf Coast region — rebounding and left to rebuild after another powerful hurricane blew through.
This time it was Ida, 16 years to the day after Katrina caused epic, widespread devastation.
The scale of destruction left in Ida’s path is not, of course, fully understood as yet. But the experience of Katrina is at least helping first responders and aid workers in the area to respond better. It sure helped this time that the levees didn’t break.
Far down the list of New Orleans priorities, the region’s beloved pro football team, the Saints, has been here before too. The club’s GM, Mickey Loomis, was on the job in 2005. And Sean Payton took over as Saints head coach only a few months after Katrina obliterated parts of the city.
This time, the Saints relocated their football operation to Dallas before the storm hit land on Sunday — much as it did in 2005, temporarily, to Houston and later, during the NFL season, to up-state Baton Rouge.
Payton was asked in Dallas on Monday what his message is to everybody back home.
“It’s prayers, it’s safety, it’s all the things that we want for our neighbours, our residents,” Payton said. “I am sure there are a lot of pretty dangerous areas relative to electric lines, gas, etc. So, we’ve seen it all from just seven hours away, here in Dallas.”
As he and Loomis huddled for hours Monday to decide which quarter-hundred players to let go in advance of Tuesday’s roster cut-down deadline, Payton said he’s fully aware his team can’t help but be distracted for the timebeing.
How does he balance that human element with his duties to prepare this group of men for its first regularseason game, a week from Sunday afternoon, ostensibly at home against the Green Bay Packers?
“That’s a great question,” Payton said. “I think you try to communicate, be open. This would be obviously a lot more challenging or difficult if families were split up, and I’m sure to some degree, some are.
“We had the team meeting this morning, kind of hit on some topics … I think every one of us is kind of like, man, we’d love a picture of what it looks like outside of our home or apartment. And I’m sure there’s going to (be) damage to the roof, damage to windows and the external portions of homes … All of that can get taken care of in time, with insurance. But most importantly it was getting to a safe spot.”
Payton said “we have a handful of people” at the club’s headquarters in suburban Metairie, and initial indications were that “things held up.”
Reports later said the Caesars Superdome was not impactfully damaged.
Next up for the Saints? To practise for the next three days — at the Dallas Cowboys’ vacant playing-field home, AT&T Stadium, courtesy of owner Jerry Jones.
“Going out and being able to practise today is going to be good for everyone,” Payton said.
“Because from afar, there’s only so much you can do.”