Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Fla., a city about 70 miles south of Tampa. As the storm made its way through Tampa after hitting the coast with 100-plus MPH winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge, it destroyed the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, Tropicana Field. Multiple videos surfaced on social media showing the fabric of the roof shredded from the sustained winds of the storm.
First responders were staging with cots inside the ballpark for storm recovery. There were no reported injuries as a result of the roof's destruction, according to Jason Adams of ABC Action News.
OMG. We all had a collected gasp when we saw this from our reporter. The fabric on the roof of Tropicana Field is shredded. #StPete #Milton pic.twitter.com/36UKLO9cK6
— Jason Adams (@JasonAdamsWFTS) October 10, 2024
One of my security agents inside @tropicanafield pic.twitter.com/eFyHOvPZQm
— Ryan Stryker (@Stryker175) October 10, 2024
Originally named the Florida Suncoast Dome when it opened to the public on March 3, 1990, the park was renamed Tropicana Field in ’96, where it has been home to the Rays, an MLB franchise that began play in ‘98. Since then, Tropicana Field has also been home to hockey, basketball, football, sprint car racing, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, weight lifting, table tennis, karate, motorcycle racing, equestrian events, track and figure skating, a testament to the facility's versatility.
Officials in multiple counties across the state of Florida urged residents to evacuate ahead of the storm. Tornadoes touched down in multiple areas before Milton made landfall, resulting in the destruction of homes and the deaths of some residents on Florida's Atlantic Coast. As of Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton has left nearly two million residents without power.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hurricane Milton Destroys Roof of Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field .
