Local authorities packed the sick, senior citizens, children, families and other evacuees inside the cavernous 77,000-seat sports arena, as one of the potent storms barrelled in from the Gulf of Mexico.

But as the Category Four hurricane churned over the historic city, known for its rickety French Quarter and riotous nightlife, metal supports started ripping off the Superdome, billed as a shelter of "last resort."

"Huge layers of the roof have begun to peel off. It was hanging off; it was flapping in the wind," a reporter for local CBS television station WWL-TV said.

Other reports said the membrane of the Superdome roof was clearly visible from outside and that water was leaking into the stadium, home of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).

"The Superdome management assured us this would be the safest place in New Orleans," a shaken reporter told a local radio station.

"There's a lot of strange sounds. That waterproofing that was (on the roof) may be in the process of being peeled off."

Evacuees sprawled over Superdome seats and dozed on the pitch underneath American football goalposts, as people used hastily assembled baggage as pillows.

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