(St. Petersburg) The canvas roof of the Tampa Bay Rays stadium was torn to shreds after the hurricane Milton hit Florida on Wednesday evening, bringing gusts exceeding 160 km/h and flooding parts of the state.
It is not known at this time if there was any damage inside Tropicana Field, located in St. Petersburg.
Television footage showed that the strips that serve as a roof for the domed building were completely in tatters, providing a clear line of sight to the lights that were on inside the stadium.
The Rays stadium was not used as a shelter, but the Tampa Bay Times reported that it was used as a staging site for workers who were brought to the area to deal with the aftermath of the storm.
The Rays previously announced they were “working with state and local emergency management partners to assist with debris removal efforts.”
The stadium opened in 1990 and initially cost US$138 million. It is expected to be replaced in time for the 2028 season by a US$1.3 billion stadium.
Separately, an NBA preseason game between the Orlando Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans, which was scheduled for Friday in Orlando, was canceled even before Milton does not settle in the state.