According to sources, the New Orleans Saints plan to evacuate to the Dallas-Fort Worth area due to Hurricane Ida.
The team plans to leave Saturday afternoon before the storm, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along the Louisiana coast Sunday afternoon.
If Ida forces the club to stay for an extended period of time, there are plans to practice the Saints at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
The Saints ’original internship plan included workouts on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The team’s tentative plan is to stay in the area until Wednesday.
Team officials spent much of Friday trying to quickly plan travel plans and secure hotel rooms in the area.
It is not the first time the saints have evacuated before a storm.
Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints to move their home base to San Antonio throughout the 2005 season. In 2004, the Saints practiced for three days during the preseason in San Antonio to get out of the way of Hurricane Ivan. They migrated to Indianapolis for a few days in 2008 before Hurricane Gustav, and then followed the same a few years later in 2012 to Cincinnati due to Hurricane Isaac.
The Saints had a contingency in the works last year ahead of Hurricane Delta, but the track shifted westward and the Saints remained on foot. If conditions worsened in New Orleans, the team would have evacuated to Indianapolis and played Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Ida is expected to play on Sunday afternoon.
For Ida to become a Category 2 hurricane, its sustained winds must reach a minimum of 96 mph. Category 3 status starts at 111 mph. Category 4 status starts at 130 mph.
There is a hurricane warning in effect for all of Louisiana’s coastal parishes, including Orleans Parish, where the Superdome is located, and Jefferson Parish, where the team’s training facilities are located.
This story is unfolding. Please check for updates again.