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The Houston Texans Resume Practice After Hurricane Damage:

In the wake of a summer of hurricanes, the Houston Texans will finally return home and resume practice. The extensive damage Hurricane Ike inflicted on many Texas homes and towns was also felt at Reliant Stadium, home of the Texans since 2002. As shown in pictures, the stadiums retractable roof displayed approximately five pieces missing. Several large pieces were said to have fallen into the stadium. The Texans were forced to move to a different practice venue when their normal facility, the “bubble,” deflated during the storm, but wasn’t permanently damaged.

The team’s practice venue was relocated for only several days. The team expects to be back home within the next day or so. Inspections on the roof have shown only damage to the top but no primary roof structure damage has occurred. Other damage included blown off doors and water inside.

Fortunately, the Astrodome, Reliant Stadium’s neighbor, was not damaged. It has hardly been used since the Houston Oilers moved to Tennesee in 1996, but has been used as a shelter base for bad weather.

The Batimore Ravens and Houston Texans game scheduled for Week 2 was pushed to November 9 based on the damage. The missed game will end up counting as their bye week, which was originally scheduled for October 26. They now will host the Cincinnati Bengals. The Houston Texans are not the only NFL team to be affected by the devastating hurricane season. In 2005, the New Orleans Saints were displaced after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city. They continued on to play their following games at LSU, San Antonio and East Rutherford, New Jersey.