Pete Maravich Assembly Center - Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the arena was quickly turned into the largest triage center and acute care field hospital ever created in United States history. The 800-bed facility, which was under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was staffed by ordinary citizen volunteers up to and including physicians. Some of the volunteers were themselves displaced from New Orleans due to the hurricane. Helicopters with injured evacuees landed on the infield of LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium, which is adjacent to the arena, while ambulances from around the region lined up with other patients that needed treatment. Those deemed healthy enough were either transferred to out-of-state facilities or to LSU's Carl Maddox Field House which had been transformed into a large emergency shelter.