Superdome Officials Worried About a Power Outage

Superdome officials warned just months before the Super Bowl that the venue’s electrical system could suffer a power outage and rushed to replace some of the equipment ahead of the big game.

While the cause of Sunday’s 34-minute outage is still under investigation, records released Monday show that Superdome officials were worried in October about losing power during the NFL championship.

Tests on the electrical feeders that connect incoming power from utility lines to the stadium showed decay and “a chance of failure,” state officials warned in a memo dated Oct. 15. The documents, obtained through a records request by The Associated Press, also show the utility that supplies the stadium expressed concern about the reliability of the service before the Super Bowl.