The roof at Tropicana Field was quickly destroyed as Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday.
The storm, which reached Category 5 status earlier this week over the Gulf of Mexico, slammed into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday. Within a few hours, big chunks of the roof at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays started coming off.
The Rays said before the storm hit that the stadium was not being used as a shelter for residents, but it was set up as a staging area for first responders. As of Wednesday night, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin, no injuries were reported.
The roof, according to the team’s media guide, is made of “six acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass and supports itself with 180 miles of cables connected by struts.” It was designed to withstand winds of up to 115 mph.
Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was quickly overcome with water, too. Unlike Tropicana Field, the stadium does not have a roof. The Buccaneers are on the road this week, and they left town early to avoid the hurricane.
Hurricane Milton formed in recent days over the Gulf of Mexico, and it quickly reached Category 5 status. It made landfall near Sarasota, Florida, as a Category 3 storm. Forecasters warned that the storm surge could reach up to 13 feet in some areas throughout the Tampa Bay region, which led to dire warnings from officials in the days leading up to the storm.
Tampa mayor Jane Castor even warned residents living in the mandatory evacuations zones that staying would lead to certain death.
“I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Castor said on CNN.
As of Wednesday night, more than 1.6 million Floridians were without power, according to The New York Times, and there had been more than two dozen reports of tornados or tornado-related damage across the state.
Tropicana Field sits in St. Petersburg, Florida, across the bay from Tampa. It opened in 1990 and can hold more than 42,700 fans. The ballpark is the only one in the league with a fixed roof.
Raymond James Stadium is located in Tampa. It opened in 1998 and seats about 75,000 people.
Hurricane Milton is expected to have moved off the east coast of Florida by Thursday morning.