Saints mark 20th anniversary of the reopening of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina

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FILE: Hurricane Katrina Superdome survivor recounts experience being trapped for 3 days

Shelton Alexander was one of 30,000 people trapped in the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina's wrath on New Orleans in 2005. Now, 20 years later, Alexander recounts the three days he spent inside the stadium and how he got out. 

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Sept. 25, 2006: A white jersey streaked right through the middle of the punt formation and New Orleans Saints special teams standout, Steve Gleason, blocked an Atlanta Falcons punt just outside their own end zone, leading to a scoop-and-score touchdown that sent more than 70,000 roaring fans into a frenzy in the Saints' first game in the Superdome since being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

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The Saints and the NFL will mark the 20th anniversary of "The Rebirth" game, as it has come to be known by fans, Monday night with a special pregame remembrance ceremony.

NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 26:  A statue titled "Rebirth," which depicts former New Orleans Saint Steve Gleason blocking a punt against the Atlanta Falcons during the first football game after the Superdome re-opened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina is seen before a game between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 26, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  

((Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

According to the team, New Orleans legend Irma Thomas will sing the National Anthem and Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees will return to lead the team's iconic "Who Dat" chant before the game.

 Hurricane Katrina remains one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in American history, leading to more than 1,000 deaths and more than $100 billion in damage.

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Katrina made landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm on Aug. 29, 2005 near the mouth of the Mississippi River. During Katrina, storm surge combined with water from breeched levees to cover 80% of New Orleans with several feet of water.

Government assessments estimated that the storm displaced 1.5 million people across the region, many of whom never returned.

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In Katrina's immediate aftermath, the Superdome housed up to 25,000 evacuees, according to state reports. Conditions deteriorated rapidly in the days and hours that followed. A 2006 federal report citing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assessed the Superdome as "uninhabitable."

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 07:  An aerial exterior view of Caesars Superdome before a game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz at Smoothie King Center on April 07, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

((Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

The repair of the Superdome was fast-tracked, reopening a little more than a year later, when the Saints hosted the Falcons on Sep. 25, 2006.

Gleason's blocked punt a little more than a minute into the game sparked New Orleans' 23-3 win over Atlanta, and helped propel the franchise to its first NFC Championship Game later that season. The Saints' resurgence became a point of pride and unity as the city began a long road to recovery after Katrina.

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The 2006 season helped lay the foundation for the team's first Super Bowl win in 2009.

Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, is expected to be present for the special ceremony Monday night and a statue of the blocked punt was unveiled outside the rebuilt Superdom in 2012.