Superdome Should Fare Better Against Isaac Due To Renovations

Hurricane Isaac is scheduled to make landfall on the Louisiana coast tonight, but SMG Senior VP/Stadiums & Arenas Doug Thornton "feels much more confident" in the ability of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to "withstand the fury" of this storm than it did during Hurricane Katrina in '05. The stadium underwent a $336M renovation after Katrina, and the "most important upgrade was a $32 million roof job, designed to protect the facility from winds up to a Category 3 hurricane." While Thornton is confident in the roof, he said that the "main concern is that flying debris could damage the building's aluminum outer shell." However, any damage would affect the facility "aesthetically not operationally" (NOLA.com, 8/28).

Meanwhile, the season-opening football game between South Alabama and Texas-San Antonio has been moved from Thursday night to a Saturday 1:00pm CT kickoff because of Hurricane Isaac and "concerns about travel and safety for teams and fans." The game will be played at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile (AL.com, 8/28).