KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Category 3 Hurricane Ian is headed for Florida’s western coast, putting the Chief’s Sunday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in jeopardy.
Fans in the Kansas City area with plans to travel to the sunshine state are debating weathering the storm, with the safety of Floridians top of mind.
“We’re not trying to make it all about us,” Paul Goebel said. “There’s a lot bigger issues going on in Tampa right now.”
Goebel is a member of Kingdom Wagon, a tailgating group that attends home games and travels to a few away games each year.
Since the group formed 11-years-ago, Goebel hasn’t dealt with a natural disaster like this.
“Nothing quite like this and I hope we never have to experience anything like this again,” he said.
Goebel plans to make a game time decision when it comes to travel plans.
"We’re kind of in a wait and see point right now," he said. "It’s going to depend on where the game is, how feasible it is to get there on last minute’s notice.”
Kathleen Henderson is calling on a higher power to keep her friends and future plans safe.
Henderson dresses up as a nun with her biological sister on game days. The pair are not practicing nuns, but they are sisters.
An airline changed Henderson’s flight from Thursday to Friday morning, but she is contemplating staying home this Sunday.
“I am okay with actually not going and not being down there,” she said. “I’m just worried about all the people who are down there.”
Both Henderson and Goebel have family and friends in the Tampa area. They planned to use Sunday’s game as an excuse to visit family and watch the Chiefs in the same weekend.
“This was going to be a really good one to go to, but well there will be another time,” Henderson said.
—