The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, was torn apart when Hurricane Milton crashed into Florida on Wednesday evening.
The ballpark had been transformed into a base for thousands of first responders as the state braced for devastation.
The field was dotted with rows of green beds before the Category 3 storm hit the coast, bringing winds of up to 120 mph and several hurricanes across the state.
Tampa avoided a direct hit from the hurricane, but Tropicana Field – in nearby St. Petersburg – still suffered serious damage Wednesday evening.
Images posted on social media showed huge holes in the domed roof, with material flapping in the vicious wind.
The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, was torn apart by Hurricane Milton
The baseball field had been transformed into a base for first responders before the storm
The National Guard and other first responders were stationed at the ballpark to assist with the relief effort. There were no immediate reports of injuries inside.
The Rays have been based in St. Petersburg since the franchise’s first season in 1998, and late last year the team reached an agreement with the city and Pinellas County to build a new $1.3 billion ballpark on the site of Tropicana Field.
After seventeen years of waiting and failed proposals, the plan was officially approved in July.
The new stadium, which will seat up to 34,000 fans for Rays games, is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 season. Work is scheduled to start in January 2025.
The Category 3 storm hit the coast, bringing winds of up to 120 miles per hour and several hurricanes
More than 1.8 million homes and businesses in Florida were without power Wednesday evening
As of midnight Wednesday, at least two deaths had been reported at a retirement home as a result of a suspected tornado on Florida’s east coast.
More than 1.8 million Florida homes and businesses were without power in a state that was already hit by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
As many as two million people were ordered to evacuate, with millions more living in the storm’s expected path.
Much of the southern US felt the deadly force of Hurricane Helene as it cut a swath of destruction through Florida and several other states. Both storms are expected to cause billions of dollars in damage.
