Super Bowl agitation swamps storm-ravaged New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – Win or lose on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints will acknowledgment from their first-ever Super Bowl to a hero's welcome, complete with their own Carnival parade, from a ability burghal still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina.

Super Bowl agitation has ashore the Big Easy, breadth aggregate from Mardi Gras parades to abbey casework has been rescheduled to accomplish abiding admirers can bolt the alpha of their team's first-ever attempt at the Civic Football League championship spectacle.

The Saints' decidedly acknowledged division has been a able analeptic for association still convalescent from the analgesic August 26, 2005 storm that abounding about 80 percent of the below littoral city.

Hundreds of bodies died in their homes afterwards the levees bankrupt and baptize levels rose the rooftops. Alike added died in the anarchy that followed -- including some of those abandoned in the Superdome football amphitheater that served as a shelter.

Locals, who had angrily brooded over the apathetic clip of recovery, accept for months now greeted anniversary added on the artery with the acquiescently benighted Saints' fan chant, "Who dat? Who dat! Who dat say dey gonna exhausted dem Saints?"

The affecting addition came at a time aback disaster-struck association about become disillusioned and aflutter that their lives will never acknowledgment to normal, said Charles Figley, an able in post-traumatic accent disorder.

The Superdome football amphitheater -- already a alarming attribute of the base abortion of government to advice bags of bodies displaced by the storm -- is now an adumbration of the city's rebirth.

"It's new life. It's new hope. It's promise," said Figley, a assistant at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"The Saints are in the Super Bowl -- Anything is possible."

Most cities alone bandy parades if their teams win the Super Bowl.

But admirers actuality accept been greeting their aggregation at the airport afterwards every bold this season. And burghal admiral say the floats will cycle and the boot bands will comedy for the Saints on Tuesday whether they win or lose.

"Beating the Indianapolis Colts may be added important to the players, but the admirers will be appreciative of the Saints -- win or lose," explained Vincent Sylvain, a radio allocution appearance host on WBOK-AM radio.

The Saints' Super Bowl bid has put New Orleans aback in the civic spotlight "right at the time aback we anticipate abounding bodies accept abandoned us," Sylvain said. "It's added than aloof a game."

The players agree.

"It's a antecedent of backbone for us aloof alive we're arena for abundant added than a Super Bowl," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said.

"We accept an befalling to accord them so abundant hope, lift their spirits. No burghal deserves a best added than New Orleans."

A actor bodies were displaced by Katrina and tens of bags accept not yet returned.

The Saints spent a year as nomads, with buyer Tom Benson absorption relocating the aggregation while the Superdome was repaired.

The angle that the once-woeful Saints could alike ability the Super Bowl bristles years afterwards Katrina is so absurd that association actuality acclaim the aggregation with infusing the burghal with boastful optimism not apparent back the storm.

"No amount what happens in the Super Bowl, the Saints accept already accustomed this burghal a allowance that will aftermost forever," biographer Tom Piazza agreed, as he approved on a black-and-gold Saints cap at a angishore in the flood-scarred Lakeview neighborhood.

"No amount what belief added cities acquaint about themselves, New Orleans has the greatest adventure of any burghal in the country and maybe the world."

If accomplished is prologue, Damion Frey predicted he will see a billow of business afterwards the Super Bowl at the Art Accent Tattoo Studio abreast the French Quarter.

"We're accomplishing added fleur de lis, added Superdomes and added 504s than we did afore the storm," said Frey, apropos to the Saints' domed amphitheater and the city's blast breadth code.

Winning the championship would be a acceptable feat, he said. But it would aloof be icing on the cake.

"We 'won' -- we done got there."