Saints legend Drew Brees took to social media on Sunday to express concern for his fans and friends in Louisiana, as Hurricane Ida pounded the Gulf Coast.
Brees, in Atlanta to provide analysis for NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast, appeared in a brief video published on social media by the Falcons.
"Hey everybody back in New Orleans and Louisiana," Brees said. "This is Drew Brees. I'm here in Atlanta with the Sunday Night Football crew, but my heart is with you. Please everyone stay safe and secure during the hurricane, and God bless everyone. Stay safe."
The Falcons, one of Brees' longtime NFC South rivals during his playing career, were hosting the Browns on Sunday. The Saints' preseason game against the Cardinals, scheduled for Saturday at the Superdome, was canceled on Friday in advance of the storm.
Ida made landfall in Port Fourchon late Sunday morning, registering as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of up to 155 mph. It was since downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, but New Orleans was yet to experience what was expected to be its worst spell of the storm by Sunday evening.
In Galliano, a hospital roof was ripped off by the storm's forceful winds, while multiple New Orleans sewage stations lost power. Across the state, at least 420,000 homes were estimated to be without power.
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