Shelter from the Storm

Two Huge Accomplishments

The Superdome finally reopened on Monday, Sept. 25 '06. Outfitted with a new roof after Hurricane Katrina blew off the building's last roof, and overhauled on the inside to repair damage caused by evacuees, The 'Dome, as it's called sometimes, looks its best. The way it looks now, it's hard to imagine that it was once a place filled with pain, anger, and agony a little over a year ago. The celebrations surrounding the Dome's reopening were great. One of our local news crews sponsored a concert featuring musicians from New Orleans. The local band, Cowboy Mouth, was among the acts performing outdoors, along with the Goo Goo Dolls, who served as the headlining outdoor act. Inside the Dome, U2 and Green Day performed a cover of "The Saints Are Coming" by The Skids. The reopening, itself, was huge accomplishment #1.

The Outdoor Stage:




Before the Re-Opening of The Superdome:




After the Re-Opening:

The Saints beating the Atlanta Falcons 23-3, and remaining undefeated, for now, was huge accomplishment #2. ESPN's broadcast of the game was the second most-watched cable television broadcast. But, while the game was ESPN's highest-rated telecast ever, the game still fell short of the all-time cable-TV ratings held by the 1993 Al Gore and Ross Perot CNN debate about the North America Free Trade Agreement. Almost 15 million viewers watched the Saints-Falcons game.

Screaming fans inside The Superdome:

The reopening was deemed mostly successful. It was definitely something we needed, here in New Orleans. It felt so good to see the Superdome make such a big comeback. Lots of tears were still spilled, but this time there were tears of joy mixed with tears of pain. We still have a long way to go, especially in the Ninth Ward and Lakeview areas, despite some homes already being rebuilt in these neighborhoods. The good days are beginning to occur, more and more, but life is definitely still a struggle, emotionally and financially. Just beneath our surfaces, memories of the past year are almost as fresh as if Katrina struck days ago. We can't simply forget what happened or just get over it. All we can do is try to cope. And pray that the world doesn't forget, either, that we still need and appreciate all that has been and is still being done to help New Orleans and Her people recover. We y'all!

Bono's close up as U2 performed at The Superdome's reopening:





The Dome at Night:

Photos are Copyright © deep fried kudzu  . All Rights Reserved.