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How Hurricane Katrina enabled, then disabled Tom Benson from ditching New Orleans

For me, my Hurricane Katrina story started inside the Superdome. It was Friday August 26, 2005, and I accompanied two friends to the New Orleans Saints preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The storm had just been upgraded to a Category Two hurricane with a projected path closer to the Florida panhandle than the Louisiana coast. I’ll never forget the palpable anxiety inside the venue that would soon host thousands of evacuees, only 48 hours later.

My mind was not on the game. Instead, I eavesdropped on worried Who Dats all around me as each contemplated what the storm could mean if it strengthened or turned in our direction.