Saints mark 20th anniversary of the reopening of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Sept. 25, 2006: A achromatic jersey streaked close done the mediate of the punt enactment and New Orleans Saints peculiar teams standout, Steve Gleason, blocked an Atlanta Falcons punt conscionable extracurricular their ain extremity zone, starring to a scoop-and-score touchdown that sent much than 70,000 roaring fans into a frenzy successful the Saints' archetypal crippled successful the Superdome since being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

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The Saints and the NFL volition people the 20th day of "The Rebirth" game, arsenic it has travel to beryllium known by fans, Monday nighttime with a peculiar pregame remembrance ceremony.

NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 26:  A statue titled "Rebirth," which depicts erstwhile New Orleans Saint Steve Gleason blocking a punt against the Atlanta Falcons during the archetypal shot crippled aft the Superdome re-opened for the archetypal clip aft Hurricane Katrina is seen earlier a crippled betwixt the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons astatine Mercedes-Benz Superdome connected September 26, 2016 successful New Orleans, Louisiana.  

((Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

According to the team, New Orleans fable Irma Thomas volition sing the National Anthem and Hall of Fame backmost Drew Brees volition instrumentality to pb the team's iconic "Who Dat" chant earlier the game.

 Hurricane Katrina remains 1 of the deadliest and costliest earthy disasters successful American history, starring to much than 1,000 deaths and much than $100 cardinal successful damage.

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Katrina made landfall arsenic a almighty Category 3 tempest connected Aug. 29, 2005 adjacent the rima of the Mississippi River. During Katrina, tempest surge combined with h2o from breeched levees to screen 80% of New Orleans with respective feet of water.

Government assessments estimated that the tempest displaced 1.5 cardinal radical crossed the region, galore of whom ne'er returned.

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In Katrina's contiguous aftermath, the Superdome housed up to 25,000 evacuees, according to authorities reports. Conditions deteriorated rapidly successful the days and hours that followed. A 2006 national study citing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assessed the Superdome arsenic "uninhabitable."

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 07:  An aerial exterior presumption of Caesars Superdome earlier a crippled betwixt the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz astatine Smoothie King Center connected April 07, 2026 successful New Orleans, Louisiana.

((Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

The repair of the Superdome was fast-tracked, reopening a small much than a twelvemonth later, erstwhile the Saints hosted the Falcons connected Sep. 25, 2006.

Gleason's blocked punt a small much than a infinitesimal into the crippled sparked New Orleans' 23-3 triumph implicit Atlanta, and helped propel the franchise to its archetypal NFC Championship Game aboriginal that season. The Saints' resurgence became a constituent of pridefulness and unity arsenic the metropolis began a agelong roadworthy to betterment aft Katrina.

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The 2006 play helped laic the instauration for the team's archetypal Super Bowl triumph successful 2009.

Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS successful 2011, is expected to beryllium contiguous for the peculiar ceremonial Monday nighttime and a statue of the blocked punt was unveiled extracurricular the rebuilt Superdom successful 2012.