NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The evacuation of the Superdome was temporarily disrupted Thursday after shots were reported fired at a military helicopter and arson fires broke out outside the arena. No injuries were immediately reported.
An air ambulance service official said that helicopter transfers of the sick and injured were suspended, but the National Guard said Thursday that able-bodied evacuees were still being moved by bus to Houston's Astrodome.
Authorities had said Wednesday that some 25,000 people who had been in the Superdome since Sunday would be taken to the Houston Astrodome. But the unrest had caused some disruptions.
The scene at the Superdome became increasingly chaotic, with thousands of people rushing from hotels and other buildings, hoping to climb onto the buses taking evacuees from the arena, officials said. Paramedics became increasingly alarmed by the sight of people with guns.
''We won't go into the Superdome landing zone until security is restored,'' said Richard Zuschlag, president and CEO of Acadian Ambulance Service Inc., which is running the evacuation of the sick and injured at the Superdome. ''We are now concentrating on the roofs of hospitals.''
Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the Louisiana National Guard said other evacuations were continuing. Law enforcement officers will ride with those school buses, he said.
Earlier, the first busloads of weary refugees from New Orleans arrived at Houston's Astrodome, where air conditioning, cots, food and showers awaited them.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided 500 buses to transport people made homeless by Hurricane Katrina and then again by the floodwaters around the New Orleans' arena from the Superdome to the Astrodome.
Houston developers detailed plans for turning the rarely used 40-year-old Astrodome into a hotel last month not knowing that within weeks the Dome would be retrofitted into a temporary home for up to 25,000 hurricane evacuees.
With no air conditioning and little electricity, the heat and stench inside the Superdome were unbearable for the nearly 25,000 housed there. As the water pressure lowered, toilets backed up. The stink was so bad many medical workers wore masks as they walked around.
Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., in charge of the special needs shelter at the dome, described the Superdome and a nearby arena as a health department's nightmare.
''These conditions are atrocious,'' he said. ''We'll take trucks, planes, boats, anything else, I have to get these people out of here.''
The plan to turn the Astrodome into a shelter grew out of a conversation between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco. The Astrodome's schedule has been cleared through December. The dome, once the home of the Houston Astros, is used on occasion for corporate parties and hospitality events leading up to football games, such as the Big 12 championship, played at neighboring Reliant Stadium. The Astrodome hasn't been used for professional sports in years.
''We're buying time until we can figure something out,'' said William Lokey, chief coordinator for FEMA.
Some members of the New Orleans Hornets' front office also relocated to Houston and are working out of the Toyota Center, according to various reports. Also, The New York Times reported Thursday that NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik sent an e-mail to all the teams in the NBA to prepare them for the possible relocation of the Hornets.
''Even if the arena is operable, it still may be impossible to play games in New Orleans for some time,'' Granik wrote in the e-mail message, a copy of which was obtained by the Times.
The NFL's Saints will be based in San Antonio for a while. It's highly unlikely they will be able to hold their home opener Sept. 18 at the Superdome _ and may not be able to play there at all this season.
The Saints escaped the hurricane by flying with their families last weekend to San Jose, Calif. New Orleans plays at Oakland on Thursday night in its final exhibition game.
Numerous members of the sports community offered their assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The NFL and the New York Yankees each donated $1 million to the American Red Cross on Wednesday.
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair said Wednesday that he will match donations up to $1 million given during the team's preseason game against Tampa Bay on Thursday night. All donations will go to the American Red Cross.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair teamed with Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and arranged to fill a tractor-trailer with relief supplies bound for Mississippi on Wednesday. McNair also asked his fans to help him raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. McNair, who has a home near Favre's in Hattiesburg, Miss., is offering to swap an autographed photo for each minimum donation of $100 to his foundation.
The Packers also flew to Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday for their final preseason game, but only after loading the team airplane with generators and other emergency supplies to help the victims of the hurricane.
Serena Williams announced she would donate $100 for every ace she has the rest of the year, beginning with her two in Wednesday night's second-round victory at the U.S. Open.
Associated Press reporter Pam Easton in Houston contributed to this report.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press
