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Video shows roof of Tropicana field shredded by Hurricane Milton
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Video shows roof of Tropicana field shredded by Hurricane Milton

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

The field was set up to house first responders and serve as a staging area for 10,000 people. When the roof was destroyed, the inside was exposed as debris flew.

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

Tropicana Field is the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays. The team told TODAY that the roof could withstand winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour. The highest wind gust in Saint Petersburg on October 9 was 160 kilometers per hour. The roof panels are made of fiberglass and covered with Teflon.

Tropicana Field is currently not being used by the team, as they have not qualified for the postseason, which is currently taking place.

The 1.1 million square foot stadium opened in 1990 and was renamed ThunderDome in 1993 before becoming Tropicana Field in 1996. More than a dozen other sports have been played at the stadium, which has hosted World Series games as well as 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, in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024.Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press via Shutterstock

Milton has destroyed homes, overturned cars and toppled trees. It also caused a crane to crash into a building and set off a slew of tornadoes.

Milton had maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour, reports NBC Miami, which also said more than 1.5 million people lost power across the state.

National Guard troops from at least nine states have descended on Florida to help with recovery efforts.