From Katrina to the Super Bowl: Saints Fans Rejoice in NOLA

What a difference a few short years make.

In August of 2005, desperate and terrified New Orleans residents packed the Louisiana Superdome simply because they had no place to go; Hurricane Katrina had literally washed away everything they owned and held dear.

But less than four and a half years later it was a dramatically different story as 71,276 cheering fans inside that same Superdome roared as New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley whacked a football squarely through the goal posts in overtime Sunday to win the NFC championship game against the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 and send the Saints to the Super Bowl for the very first time. The win sent a much-needed jolt of adrenaline and joy through a city still recovering from the life-altering flood.

"This is for everybody in this city, " Coach Sean Payton told The Times-Picayune. "This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It's not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans."

The win reduced grown men to tears, set off spontaneous partying in the road (Bourbon Street and beyond) and sparked a different kind of rain — of the black and gold confetti variety. The Times Picayune, NOLA's paper of record, explained the significance of the win this way:

"Through all the Mardi Gras parades, Sugar Bowls, Jazz and Essence Festivals, New Orleans has never partied like this. Nearly five years after Hurricane Katrina wrecked this city, severely damaged the Dome and left unprecedented damages, some questioned if New Orleans would ever recover, let alone party like this."

(And for the paper to claim that this is biggest party New Orleans has ever seen — well, that says something.)

Now, the city is gearing up for the big game in Miami in two weeks, where the Saints will face off against the Indianapolis Colts. If excitement alone could lead to victory, the Saints seem assured a Super Bowl win.

"This is a pretty surreal moment," Saints QB Drew Brees told the Times-Picayune. "Words just can't describe the feeling. When you think back to four years ago, coming back here post-Katrina ... I could never have imagined that things would have worked out the way that they have. But we had a goal and we had a dream back then and it was to have this opportunity to go and play for a Super Bowl championship."

In a city that has been through so much in such a short time, I know who I'll be rooting for on Super Bowl Sunday, as will so many people across the nation — and the world.

Photo courtesy of trumanio via Flickr

Saints  photo by prettywar-stl via Flickr