This weekend it's supposed to be ready for the Houston Texans home opener. The storm not only damaged the roof, but there was also damage inside the stadium making repairs costly.
From the outside looking in, Reliant Stadium appeared to only have roof damage, but after a closer look there was a lot more damage. SMG President Shea Guinn was in the stadium when the storm blew through.
"It was like a freight train for like ten plus straight hours," said Shea Guinn who is President & General Manager of SMG-Reliant Park.
It's estimated that:
The stadium sustained $10.8 million in damages
Reliant Center - 6.2 million
Arena - $3.8 million
Director of the Harris County Sports Convention Corporation Willie Lofton says there still many questions up in the air.
"I know there are being attempts made to determine what the wind velocity was out there," Lofton said.
Lofton says they're trying to determine whether or not the roof performed up to par.
"Without knowing what kind of winds were sustained out here, it's conceivable that the building performed just as it should have," he said. "You would rather lose the fabric than have the mechanical and structural elements severely damaged."
They are also looking into possible FEMA reimbursement.
"We can request up to 75% of the deductible that we end up paying out," he said.
With the deductible a little over $10 million, if approved by FEMA, they could be reimbursed up to $7.5 million.
As for this weekend's matchup between the Texans and the Colts, the stadium will be ready. Guinn says the only thing fans will have to get use to is an open roof.
"It will remain in the open position through about mid January," Guinn said.
The roof is scheduled to be finished by mid-January. The irony of all the damage done at Reliant Park Guinn says is there was no measurable damage done to the Astrodome.
