As Hurricane Isaac cut its path across New Orleans, the city and its football stadium were spared from the type of devastating wreckage left by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago.
The Times-Picayune reported Thursday that the Mercedes-Benz Superdome retained power during the storm and suffered only superficial damage, according to stadium officials.
"Overall, we seemed to fair very well," said Doug Thornton, a senior vice president for SMG, which manages the site. "Nothing that can't be repaired pretty quickly or that will prevent us from playing the Tulane game this weekend."
Advertising panels and sheet metal flashing around a video board were hit the hardest, Thornton said. Outside the stadium, a tree fell, but on the whole, Isaac was but a shadow of Katrina.
Gregg Rosenthal's alma mater, Tulane, is scheduled to play its home opener against Rutgers at the Superdome on Saturday night. That game will proceed as planned, before the Saints open their regular season at home against the Washington Redskins on Sept. 9.
Isaac hasn't vanished, however. It continues to barrel across the region, claiming its first fatality Thursday and forcing thousands to evacuate across Mississippi and Louisiana, CNN.com reported.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
