FEMA Taps 4 NFL Stadiums As Disaster Shelters For Extreme Weather
Some NFL stadiums may be used as emergency response hubs during weather disasters. In a new partnership between the NFL and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), four stadiums have been selected to open their doors during hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, transforming into shelters, staging areas, emergency hospitals, and distribution centers.
The initial stadiums in the agreement include MetLife Stadium (home to the New York Jets and New York Giants), Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks), Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers), and Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). SoFi Stadium, which hosts the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, is also under review for inclusion.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell described the plan as a “groundbreaking opportunity” and encouraged other stadiums to participate. “While we are starting with the NFL, all venues across sports organizations and leagues can become assets to their communities, and I encourage them to join in this collaborative effort as we grapple with the impacts of the climate crisis,” Criswell said.
Football stadiums have previously served as unofficial emergency shelters, most notably when New Orleans’ Superdome became a shelter of last resort during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, although conditions deteriorated quickly as electricity was lost and supplies ran out. Several stadiums were also used as hubs for Covid-19 response during the pandemic’s peak.
NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier emphasized the importance of stadiums in disaster relief efforts. “Stadiums are valuable community assets that are often used in times of disasters,” Lanier said. “This designation reflects the role that many stadiums play, not only on Sundays, but especially in times of need.”
For official designation as an emergency site, stadiums must be centrally located, accessible via major roads and close to healthcare services, including hospitals. They also need to be accessible to individuals with disabilities and capable of quickly deploying food, water, and medical supplies.
This FEMA-NFL partnership comes as Hurricane Helene approaches the southeastern U.S., including the Gulf Coast, with a “catastrophic and deadly storm surge” expected to impact Florida’s Big Bend Coast Thursday evening. It’s unclear whether Raymond James Stadium in Tampa will be activated as a disaster center for the storm.
In other FEMA news, the agency recently made headlines for mistakenly declaring the New Orleans Saints’ 44-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys a “major disaster” in a training press release. A Hearst television reporter in Washington, D.C., posted a screenshot of the FEMA press release on X, which included the erroneous disaster declaration.
The release said, “FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Texas to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 15, 2024.” FEMA later clarified in a follow-up email that the press release was sent inadvertently and was intended “for training purposes only.”
