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Roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Rays, torn off amid Hurricane Milton wrath

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints
By Michael Whitaker | Last updated 10/9/24

It’s a terrifying time for residents of Florida in the path of the powerful Category 5 Hurricane Milton, which is wreaking havoc across the region. Shocking footage has emerged from St. Petersburg, showing the impact of the storm at Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.

Multiple videos are being posted across social media that show multiple panels of the venue’s fabric roof being torn off by the strong gusts of wind from the storm, which made landfall at approximately 8:30 PM EST on Wednesday.

The Tropicana Field roof has come off during Hurricane Milton

The ballpark was being used as shelter for first responders pic.twitter.com/tBcrESzYdu

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 10, 2024

This is wild.

The roof of Tropicana Field is currently getting ripped off by Hurricane Milton.

pic.twitter.com/ffTpWUKRLW

— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 10, 2024

The venue had been serving as a base camp for emergency first responders; thousands of empty green cots were on the field.

Dire warnings have been given by officials across the state, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, via Fox News:

“Time is running out,” DeSantis said at a briefing Tuesday. “There’s no guarantee what the weather’s going to be like starting Wednesday morning … You may have a window where it may be safe, but you may not. So use today as your day to finalize and execute the plan that is going to protect you and your family.”

Additionally, Tampa mayor Jane Castor explained that not evacuating could have deadly consequences for residents who don’t leave the mandatory evacuation zones.

“Helene was a wake-up call, this is literally catastrophic,” Castor’s grim warning explained. “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”

So far, there has been no information released on any potential injuries that may have been suffered in the incident.

Tropicana Field has been the home of the Rays since 1998

A view of the field and the fans and the ballpark roof during the sixth inning between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox in game two of the 2021 ALDS at Tropicana Field Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Tropicana Field has been home to the Rays since the 1998 season, and Wednesday’s incident involving the roof marks the first time in the venue’s history that something of this magnitude has occurred.

According to the venue’s website, was specifically designed with a slanted roof to better protect against hurricanes.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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