Feds turn to NFL stadiums for shelters as climate change increases severity of natural disasters

Source: washingtonpost

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  1. As Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana in 2005, more than 20,000 people [sought a makeshift shelter in the Superdome](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/09/11/the-steady-buildup-to-a-citys-chaos/7e601e89-6a05-497f-82b5-167618ae4186/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2), the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints.

    Nearly two decades later, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the NFL are partnering to turn football stadiums across the country into emergency shelters, temporary hospitals and other venues needed during disasters, according to details shared with The Washington Post. The initiative, which comes as [Florida braces for a major hurricane](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/09/23/hurricane-helene-forecast-florida-gulf-coast/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3), and [floodwaters from Hurricane Francine](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/09/12/hurricane-francine-landfall-damage-impacts/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3) soak Louisiana, aims to better prepare communities for catastrophic events.

    Poor preparation and other problems have plagued past attempts to turn stadiums into shelters. New Orleans officials have said the Superdome, for instance, was intended as a refuge of “[last resort](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/09/04/the-evacuation-and-the-recriminations/01afcd3a-980b-48b5-a7b5-02c8b6d6668e/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5)” and lacked enough food, water and supplies to support thousands of people.

    Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/09/25/nfl-stadium-shelters-disasters-fema/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/09/25/nfl-stadium-shelters-disasters-fema/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)

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