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In less time than New Orleans had to prepare the Superdome, the Astrodome became shelter for evacuees

Houston Chronicle:

In those horrible hours after Hurricane Katrina thrashed the Gulf Coast, inundating New Orleans and uprooting uncountable residents from their homes, Texas Gov. Rick Perry made an impossible request:

Could officials in Houston take the Reliant Astrodome out of semiretirement, dust away the mothballs and convert the aging stadium into a small city for 23,000 desperate evacuees?

Perry might as well have asked local officials to turn back the clock. But amazingly, Houston managed to deliver an emergency shelter for thousands in just 19 hours.

By the time the first Katrina evacuees arrived on the stadium's doorstep at 10 p.m. Aug. 31 — hungry, filthy, exhausted and emotionally spent — beds, food and hot showers were ready. It was a phenomenal feat, considering the Astrodome's floor had been bare as late as 3:30 that afternoon.

The facility has since been recognized as the largest shelter in American Red Cross history, officials with that relief organization say.

A great story of how Houston and Harris County officials organized a great relief effort.