DALLAS, Texas — The Florida State Seminoles will play SMU at Gerald Ford Stadium on Saturday night in the first-ever matchup between the two schools on the gridiron.
It's an anticipated matchup for 'Noles fans living in Dallas and abroad.
However, Hurricane Helene was not on the schedule. The storm hit the Gulf Coast of Florida late Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane. It's since moved north, impacting Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee.
Forty-three have been killed, and 4.6 million people were without power Friday night. FSU is located in Tallahassee, which was expected to take the brunt of Helene until it veered east at the last minute. Still, coastal communities were slammed by the storm surge, homes were turned to rubble, and walls of water swallowed property like it was nothing.
At a welcome party for fans hosted by the Seminole Club of North Texas Friday night, President Kara Houser told WFAA folks coming into town for the game have either been impacted or have loved ones who are.
"We actually know some people who just got in, and they still don't have power at their house," Houser said. "They'll have to deal with that when they go home after the game. But we are happy that many people could make it out here- people made changes at the last minute in their lives at different airports or drove here at the last minute."
The Florida State football team flew out of the area early before the storm, but the FSU Marching Chiefs didn't travel to the game because of the storm.
Vice President Emiliano Pantner told WFAA that the game would provide much-needed comfort for many people who needed it.
"It's Florida--it's our people, and Florida State is a family," Pantner said. "This gives us something to look forward to tomorrow--some people have had their homes flooded, some just downed trees and wind damage. I grew up in the Marco Island area, where there was a lot of water, way above where it should have been due to the storm surge."
A football game won't repair what's lost but Houser said it will give everyone at least a healthy distraction from such heartache.
"We need wins in life, right? When hardship comes--these are the ways of embracing another person and taking a break from it all," Houser said.