By Liz White, UT staffTexas City, Texas-The roof of the Louisiana Superdome, badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina in August, is to be fully replaced, including the steel decking, SMG, the group that operates the Superdome, has announced. Brazos Urethane, the contractor who made temporary repairs to the roof in November, will carry out the work, starting 1 March, said SMG on its website. According to SMG, "Pie-shaped sections will be removed, new steel will be installed, and that surface will be topped with a yellow-colored polyurethane foam that is sprayed on and hardens into a substance similar to a very dense Styrofoam." The foam will be coated with acrylic paint. The project, with a total cost of $32 million, is scheduled to be completed by 1 Sept, but "Work can continue during football season, if necessary," SMG commented. US federal emergenecy body FEMA has approved the full replacement of the roof system, said SMG adding that Brazos Urethane will have as many as 150 workers on the job.In November, Brazos did a temporary fix in the form of a spray-applied polyurethane roofing system from BaySystems North America. Brazos Urethanes, which has offices in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida, carried out the repair, starting mid-October. Reports during the aftermath of Katrina, when thousands sheltered in the Superdome, said the 100 mph hurricane winds tore two large holes, 2.5 to 8 metres long and 1.5 to 2 metres wide, in the roof, allowing rain in. The wind also ripped away some of the thick rubber layer which formed the outermost layer on the roof of the132-m high dome. The current roof construction-rubber sheeting on top of insulating boards, nailed onto a thin PU foam layer-was installed on the 30-year old stadium in 2000, when the original roof was discovered to be in need of substantial repair. The first post-Katrina event at the Superdome will be on Sunday 24 Sept, when the New Orleans Saints play the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints will play all eight regular-season games in the Dome, according to SMG's announcement. "
