When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005. It subsequently became perhaps the deadliest and most destructive hurricane in American history, exacting an even greater toll of suffering and destruction. The recovery from Hurricane Katrina, which caused $100 billion in damages and took the life of over 1,300 people, still continues to this day. Among the many affected, the New Orleans Saints faced significant challenges as they navigated the aftermath of the disaster, which altered their operations and the lives of those connected to the team.
In preparation for the storm, the Saints evacuated to California a full week ahead of its landfall. Their decision turned out to be a wise one, as that is where they found safety from Katrina’s horrible aftereffects. Once in California, players and staff had no clue what was going to happen next, or what would happen to their home city. Chase Haslett still has crystal clear memories of the pandemonium that consumed his family while they evacuated from New Orleans. At the time, his dad, Jim Haslett, was the head coach.
The Haslett family saw first hand the path of destruction Katrina left behind. Their garage door was blown 6 blocks down the street, fences were blown down, and windows were crushed in. Chase Haslett described the scene vividly: “Cars were flying by and my mom’s out there trying to pick up shoes off the side of the road.”
After Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, the Saints were temporarily moved to San Antonio. The Hasletts—and more than 100 of their friends, family members, and pets—were stuck in Ruston for over two weeks due to widespread power outages and the lack of phone service. Considering that roughly 80% of New Orleans was submerged after levee system breaches, the team’s fate was up in the air.
Despite these challenges, the Saints managed to play their first game back in New Orleans on September 25, 2006, at the Superdome—13 months after Hurricane Katrina struck. During the hurricane, the Superdome served as a last resort shelter. Sadly enough, because of some severe roof damage the space has been rendered unusable since the damage occurred.
Terry Joseph has deep roots in professional athletics. He thought about what it took to get through difficult times and maintain hope. Our experiences of life sometimes tell us that we need to fall all the way down before we can bounce back up. This is a culmination of that journey, I really do believe that,” he said.
Chase Haslett had an unusual situation to witness during this chaotic period. He filled his days at the Alamodome riding golf carts around and helping with player arrivals. I hadn’t really been paying attention to a lot of the stuff going on in the city, and as luck would have it, he recounted. Riding around in the golf cart was super fun!
The emotional impact of Hurricane Katrina went well past the physical destruction. Jim Haslett came under fire for his coaching performance after leading the Saints to an abysmal 3-13 record in 2005. Reflecting on that season in hindsight, he said he wished he’d done things differently during that tough first season. It was difficult, and I went pretty deep. Mistake No.
Chase Haslett shared that players’ ranged reactions, in turn, revealed how people respond to crisis in distinct ways, an aspect of the experience that quickly became apparent. “All the players reacted differently. Some were able to manage, some were unable to deal… it was fantastic, it was just incredible,” he recalled.
Though despair was everywhere, Chase focused on the hope and community fostered in adversity. He boasted, “We will ever recover from whatever, whenever.”
One day, Hurricane Katrina washed away everything New Orleans had known. It further changed the trajectory of the Saints’ franchise and its fans. Their struggles only ingrained them deeper into history as they regrouped to reassemble not only their lives but their team.
Leave a Reply