Four stadiums in America have been tapped to serve as safe places and shelters when communities experience disasters and emergencies.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Football League (NFL) are joining forces in a program to designate several stadiums and fields as “mission capable venues that can be used during response and recovery missions,” FEMA announced Wednesday.
The agency continued:
Through Mission Ready Venues, a public-private partnership, NFL stadiums are recognized for their capabilities to better sustain public safety and be a source of support for the communities they serve. The designation identifies the ways the stadium or venue could be used for response and recovery activities during declared emergencies or disasters.
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The initial stadiums to receive designations include MetLife, home of the Jets and the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Lumen Field, home of the Seahawks in Seattle, Washington, Acrisure Stadium, home of the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Helene is bringing winds and heavy rain near Florida’s west coast, an area known as the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, AFP reported on Wednesday.
“Mission Ready Venue designations are for five-year terms with an annual check-in to ensure venue readiness,” the outlet said before recalling the NFL venue that was used for disaster relief in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, Louisiana, the Superdome.
“The venue had been used on a short-term basis for relief efforts in 1998 and 2004 but became an overcrowded last-minute public shelter for days as almost 50,000 people held out with no electricity or water and winds-torn holes in the stadium roof,” the outlet said.
Video footage shows the inside of the Superdome following the disaster:
KCAL reported on Thursday that SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, is under review to potentially join the program:
FEMA said the stadiums can be used for things such as emergency shelters, evacuation pickup points, disaster recovery centers, and temporary hospitals.