METAIRIE, La. -- Adrian Peterson said he has about a dozen extended family members who live in his offseason home city of Houston -- including his mother, who came to stay with him before Hurricane Harvey hit this past weekend.
They’re all doing OK, the New Orleans Saints running back said. But he said the effects of Harvey have been “just really devastating to see.”
“It’s very unfortunate. It’s been tough for me, just being here and having family there. Just concerned and just praying, that’s what we’ve been doing here,” said Peterson, who has lived in Houston during the offseason for about 10 years. “I would just urge everyone who can help, every little bit matters. And everyone that’s out risking their life to bravely rescue people, we’re sending all our players and just wishing the best.
“Hoping things slow up, the rain slows up and this thing washes away so we can start the recovery process.”
Peterson said about half of his family members in Houston decided to ride out the storm, and some were in “unfortunate situations.” He said the flooding was getting pretty high just across from his mother’s home on the North side of the city, but her home hadn’t been damaged yet. She is planning to relocate to East Texas for the remainder of the storm’s aftermath.
“But, yeah, it’s real,” Peterson lamented.
Peterson also owns a gym in Houston, O Athletik, which he said hasn’t been damaged. He said he spoke to the gym’s manager about how they can help.
“We’ve kind of been in the talks of trying to help out in some type of way. I don’t know if we can maybe open the gym up and be able to bring people in ... or it might be post-hurricane. But we’re in the mix to see how we can help out as well,” Peterson said.
The Saints have about a half-dozen players from the Houston area -- and several members of the organization who can sympathize after having endured a similar experience with Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago.
Former Saints running back Deuce McAllister described the experience to ESPN on Monday. And quarterback Drew Brees, who arrived in New Orleans the year after Katrina, said it has been hard to watch from afar.
“It’s terrible,” said Brees, who is from Austin, Texas. “Knowing what we’ve been through here, you’re seeing bits and pieces of it on TV, but you’ve got no idea what it’s like until you’re in the middle of it. But it looks awful, complete devastation in so many areas. And you feel helpless because there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”