Post by highjumper on Aug 29, 2005 8:23:05 GMT -5
Saints head to northern Cailfornia
August 28, 2005
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The New Orleans Saints headed for northern California on Sunday, leaving several days early as Hurricane Katrina bore down on the city under a mandatory evacuation.
The team has a Thursday night preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, and will practice Monday through Wednesday at San Jose State. The Saints' flight left Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m.
``We decided to leave as late as possible on Sunday to give everyone enough time to take care of their personal situations and to ensure that everyone's family was out of harm's way,'' team spokesman Greg Bensel said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
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Team officials expect to decide after Thursday night's game whether to return to New Orleans.
``Our plans for flying home will be determined once we see what kind of condition the city is in,'' Bensel said. ``We are all hoping for the best for the city and the people that remain.''
The Saints were expected to make their first round of preseason cuts as early as Sunday, although the deadline is Tuesday. But Bensel said the organization focused on the storm situation first and will deal with roster decisions after getting settled in on the West Coast.
Katrina intensified into a Category 5 hurricane over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico on a path to make landfall at sunrise Monday in the heart of New Orleans. That would make it the city's first direct hit in 40 years and the most powerful storm ever to slam the city.
August 28, 2005
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The New Orleans Saints headed for northern California on Sunday, leaving several days early as Hurricane Katrina bore down on the city under a mandatory evacuation.
The team has a Thursday night preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, and will practice Monday through Wednesday at San Jose State. The Saints' flight left Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m.
``We decided to leave as late as possible on Sunday to give everyone enough time to take care of their personal situations and to ensure that everyone's family was out of harm's way,'' team spokesman Greg Bensel said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
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Team officials expect to decide after Thursday night's game whether to return to New Orleans.
``Our plans for flying home will be determined once we see what kind of condition the city is in,'' Bensel said. ``We are all hoping for the best for the city and the people that remain.''
The Saints were expected to make their first round of preseason cuts as early as Sunday, although the deadline is Tuesday. But Bensel said the organization focused on the storm situation first and will deal with roster decisions after getting settled in on the West Coast.
Katrina intensified into a Category 5 hurricane over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico on a path to make landfall at sunrise Monday in the heart of New Orleans. That would make it the city's first direct hit in 40 years and the most powerful storm ever to slam the city.
