The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, was destroyed after Hurricane Milton made landfall in the area Wednesday evening.
Images captured on social media showed the roof fabric had completely disappeared, leaving only pieces on the sides following high winds and rain.
#TropicanaField the roof comes off @RaysTheRoofTB pic.twitter.com/GNGpNcXiuV
– Bill Carl Johnson (@BC_Johnson) October 10, 2024
The land was prepared for use as a base camp for first responders and additional shelter as the storm fell to Category 3.
NBC News confirmed via St. Pete Fire and Rescue that there were people in the stadium hiding in the hallways.
“In effect, they lost part of the roof of the Tropicana,” Hillsborough County Fire Chief Jason Dougherty said on MSNBC early Thursday local time. Asked about the condition of the stadium, Dougherty said he was “sure they had a backup plan.”
Milton had maximum sustained wind speeds of 120 mph, moving east to northeast at 15 mph after landfall. More than 1.5 million people statewide are without power.
The Rays do not use the stadium for baseball purposes because they do not make the playoffs.
