The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, suffered extensive damage due to high winds associated with Hurricane Milton, which made landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday.

Photos and videos on social media showed most of the fabric covering the dome roof had been torn off.

The St. Petersburg baseball field was designated as a staging area for first responders and state and local emergency management agencies assisting with debris removal. The facility was set up to house 10,000 people, with cots on the play surface.

Capt. Garth Swingle of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue told ABC News that the people inside have been contacted and are safe. It was not immediately known if there was any damage to the stadium.

The roof is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a polymer that is stronger than glass but significantly lighter. The metal frame appeared unharmed.

According to the Rays, the Trop is built to withstand winds of up to 115 miles per hour. The roof is supported by 300 kilometers of cables connected by struts in what the team calls “the largest cable-supported dome roof in the world.”

The stadium opened in 1990 and initially cost $138 million. It will be replaced by a margin of $1.3 billion in time for the 2028 season.

St. Petersburg recorded more than 18 inches of rain as a result of the storm, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding. About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By late Wednesday, the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 105 mph (170 km/h) and storm surge warnings were in effect for parts of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida.

Concerns about the storm and its impact on Florida forced the cancellation of Friday’s game in Orlando, Florida, between the Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans, the NBA said. Orlando played in San Antonio on Wednesday night and was scheduled to return to central Florida on Thursday. A team spokesperson said the Magic will now spend an extra day in San Antonio before leaving Friday.

The NFL’s Jaguars adjusted their travel plans for London on Thursday due to the storm, delaying their departure from Jacksonville to later this evening. The team is also moving training sessions back a few hours on Thursday.

Numerous college and high school sporting events in Florida have also been canceled or postponed because of the storm, which forecasters say will likely bring torrential rain to much of the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.