NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A state official says that if the Superdome is to be used again as a shelter, the federal government needs to help make it "hurricane-proof."
Tim Coulon, chairman of the Louisiana Stadium & Expedition District, said he hopes state officials can persuade the Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance adjusters to pay for things such as enlarged concourses and new restrooms to make the Dome more suitable for evacuations, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.
The building suffered millions of dollars in damage from Hurricane Katrina and the 25,000 evacuees who sought shelter there for days after the storm passed.
"It would be foolish on our part not to look at the building with the need to modify it as a shelter," Coulon told the newspaper. "Obviously, if we don't consider the use of the Dome as a shelter then we shouldn't use it at all.
The Superdome has been declared a refuge of last resort and used as a shelter three times in its 30-year history.
