Need to consider possible Roof Collaspe with SuperDome

[EverythingIsEverything]

a reporter asked the local official, what if the superdome shelter fails. the mayor stated there is an alternative, but when the reporter stated like where, he said he can't discuss that at this time!?!??!?! I didnt understand why he couldn't disclose the alternative, unless......there IS no alternative

[THead]

I was asking this last night, how many people would they put in the superdome.

[Mello1]

a reporter asked the local official, what if the superdome shelter fails. the mayor stated there is an alternative, but when the reporter stated like where, he said he can't discuss that at this time!?!??!?! I didnt understand why he couldn't disclose the alternative, unless......there IS no alternative

It probably isn't. But the Mayor did speak of other high profile structures that people can go to if the Dome gets full. This is the problem with issuing a mandatory evac when you really don't have the resources to get people out who do not have the means.

All a lot of these people can do now is seek higher ground and take provisions with them to last about a week.

[Mello1]

I was asking this last night, how many people would they put in the superdome.

I think that the Mayor stated about 57k.

[THead]

I was asking this last night, how many people would they put in the superdome.

I think that the Mayor stated about 57k.

That's alot of 'eggs' in one basket......sigh. Just heard the latest advisory, 175mph sustained now. What is the superdome rated for, wind-wise?

[canegrl04]

I heard him stress the Superdome was a last resort source of refuge. Theres going to be many people filling up in there.Its going to be a tragic loss of life should the roof collapse

[wx247]

Superdome is built to withstand 200 mph I believe.

[cccmachine]

And how old is the Superdome?

[btangy]

I don't think any structure is safe in those type of winds. It's essentially like a tornado...you gotta be underground or in an interior room. The shelters are certainly better than being in a mobile home, but with the potential of massive flooding, the best choice is simply to leave.

[blumoon]

The mayor seems awfully calm for the situation facing him. Of course it would not help if he were freaking out, truth told those around him do seem quite nervous.

I think they want people in the Superdome so they can respond there when it gets bad. Can you imagine?......60,000 people in need of medical assistance? I would hope the stucture will hold but what are the odds, it was built for entertainment not emergency shelter! Does anyone know if the dome was built with any special reinforcements?

[NoceoTotus]

Until roughly a month ago I worked for an engineering firm that does impact studies and evacuation routing, etc... Nearly 2 years ago we stated that use of the Superdome in this type of situation would do nothing but create a single place to find the bodies and to make a mass gravesite much easier to deal with since all that would be left to do is to have the bulldozers push dirt in to the top of the structure.

Remember the Olympic stadium in Bosnia??? Same situation here unfortunately...

EDIT:
We were *not* the only ones to point this out btw... There just isn't anyplace else for people to go in the city in this situation. In such conditions, the only thing that works is case hardened structures 100 ft. above sea level and then the structure should be small or made of smaller internal structures to sustain the damage that is coming.

[EverythingIsEverything]

i know the local officials are under tremendous pressure to try and make the citizens safe as possible. they are trying to provide the best way they can do at this point. i pray the superdome does hold up, and they dont find themselves in a hard position with structural failure of the superdome

[Tri-State_1925]

Is the Superdome at all protected from the unreal flooding that may occur?

[Mello1]

Until roughly a month ago I worked for an engineering firm that does impact studies and evacuation routing, etc... Nearly 2 years ago we stated that use of the Superdome in this type of situation would do nothing but create a single place to find the bodies and to make a mass gravesite much easier to deal with since all that would be left to do is to have the bulldozers push dirt in to the top of the structure.

Remember the Olympic stadium in Bosnia??? Same situation here unfortunately...

EDIT:
We were *not* the only ones to point this out btw... There just isn't anyplace else for people to go in the city in this situation. In such conditions, the only thing that works is case hardened structures 100 ft. above sea level and then the structure should be small or made of smaller internal structures to sustain the damage that is coming.

Sigh....I have to agree unfortunately. I'm a Civil Engineer.... I think that is why the Mayor has not been pushing the Superdome -- only as a place of last resort (but you know peeps are going stream there because they will know of no other place to go...). I think that these folks know that the potential for the worst-case sceanero to happen here is very high. I'm sure that they have been 'briefed' on the real deal, so to speak. Damn.

I really do hope that this thing weakens before landfall. That would be the only thing that would save the situation here.

[yzerfan]

It's a multi-level structure. So you may get some flooding on the floor of the stadium, but you can push people up into the seating areas and concourses until they can get rescued by boat when the winds die down (provided the roof stays on)

I did the Mardi Gras Marathon there last spring. Not the highest point of the city, but on higher ground than the French Quarter, and kind of on a gentle rise to the north towards Lake P. that's not enough of a slope to qualify as a hill. West side of the Superdome, the floor was pretty much at street level. East side is slightly above steeet level.

[wlfpack81]

Geez can't even begin to imagine the possibilities of a collapse there. I'm not a structural engineer but I don't doubt what some of the civil engineers have said in this thread. Considering the sideways V shape of the building there's going to be massive amounts of pressure loading from the winds against the building.

[nativeflacracker]

Would it be feasible to get some large aircraft carriers in there and move mass amounts of people out instead of putting them in this dome? Something drastic needs to be done and NOW!

[wlfpack81]

Would it be feasible to get some large aircraft carriers in there and move mass amounts of people out instead of putting them in this dome? Something drastic needs to be done and NOW!

No way..seas/swells way too rough now

[cyclone_eye]

Considering the vulnerability of New Orleans, I am surprised at the lack of preparedness.

The transportation contigency (*edit* the Contraflow*) plan is good however, the evacuation plan is not good. It was alarming that the Major up to last nite was unaware of what legal power he had to order a mandatory evacuation. An emergency contingency plan has statutory instruments as part of it.

Mandatory evacuation should have been enforced at least 36 hours ahead of time. Evacuation transportation should have been part of the city's emerency contingency plan. It is rather disappointing that today, hotels were excluded from the mandatory evacuation order because airlines have started cancelling flights, there are no rental cars available and tourists are stranded.

Prudent contingency management requires a plan to evacuate your tourists. At time, the City should be putting on air and land transport to move tourists out. However, the contigency planning for both citizens and visitors is most disappointing and regretably it is clear that for such a vulnerable city, the official are now caught with their pants down.

[NoceoTotus]

Now you are getting in to the politics of the situation... From my past experience with this area (evacuation planning, routing, preparedness) most municipalities are more concerned with how their area is "zoned" than in actually working up a feasible plan. Politically speaking of course...

A lot of it comes down to money unfortunately... A lot of coordination is involved in setting up a truly comprehensive evac plan and that cost is shared by all concerned agencies. When budgetary matters are discussed, most legislators won't okay the money for something that may or may not happen sometime in the next 30 years.

I think karma is about to bite them all on their petards real soon now.