close
close

The video shows the roof of Tropicana Field destroyed by Hurricane Milton

The video shows the roof of Tropicana Field destroyed by Hurricane Milton

The roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, was torn apart as Hurricane Milton swept across the state after making landfall on October 9th.

The field had been set up to house first responders and was intended to serve as a collection point for 10,000 people. After the roof was destroyed, the interior was exposed by flying debris.

According to MSNBC, no injuries were reported, although there were people in the building at the time the roof was damaged.

Tropicana Field is home to Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays. The team told TODAY that the roof should be able to withstand wind speeds of up to 110 mph. The highest gust in St. Petersburg was 101 mph on October 9th. The roof panels are made of fiberglass and coated with Teflon.

Tropicana Field is currently not in use by the team as it has not qualified for the postseason currently underway.

The 1.1 million square foot stadium opened in 1990 and was renamed the ThunderDome in 1993 before becoming Tropicana Field in 1996. More than a dozen other sports were played at the stadium, which hosted World Series games and also the 1999 NCAA men's Final Four in basketball.

Hurricane Milton Tropicana Field
An aerial view of the shredded roof of Tropicana Field in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, after Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024.Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press via Shutterstock

Milton destroyed houses, overturned cars and caused trees to fall to the ground. A crane also crashed into a building and a series of tornadoes occurred.

Maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour prevailed in Milton, NBC Miami reports, where more than 1.5 million people across the state also lost power.

National Guard troops from at least nine states have deployed to Florida to support recovery efforts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *