4 NFL stadiums will soon serve as emergency shelters during disasters

In addition to hosting thousands of football fans, NFL stadiums are about to double as emergency response hubs during weather disasters.

Under a new partnership between the NFL and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, four stadiums have been selected so far to open their doors during hurricanes, tornadoes and floods, transforming into shelters, staging areas, emergency hospitals and distribution centers.

The first stadiums in the deal are MetLife (New York Jets and New York Giants); Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks); Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers); and Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

One other stadium — SoFi Stadium, which hosts the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers — is under review to be included.

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell called the plan a “groundbreaking opportunity” that other stadiums could join.

“While we are starting with the NFL, all venues across sports organizations and leagues can become assets to their communities, and I encourage them to join in this collaborative effort as we grapple with the impacts of the climate crisis,” Criswell said in a statement.

Football stadiums have a history of serving as unofficial emergency points; most notably, the Superdome in New Orleans was used as a shelter of last resort during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, though the conditions there deteriorated rapidly when the stadium lost electricity and supplies ran out. Several stadiums also served as hubs for COVID-19 response at the height of the pandemic.

The NFL and FEMA jointly recognized the value — with ample planning and coordination — of America’s vast sports infrastructure in times of emergency; the NFL first approached the federal government with the idea to open their stadiums during extreme weather and other disasters.

“Stadiums are valuable community assets that are often used in times of disasters,” NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier said in a statement. “This designation reflects the role that many stadiums play, not only on Sundays, but especially in times of need.”

To be officially designated by the federal government as an emergency location, stadiums need to be centrally located, close to major roadways and health care services like hospitals, accessible for those with disabilities, and able to deploy food, water and medical care quickly.