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Video Surfaces of Rays' Tropicana Field Roof Destroyed By Winds from Hurricane Milton

Andrew Peters

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 31: Detailed view of a baseball hat and glove during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Tropicana Field on July 31, 2024 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

As Hurricane Milton tears through parts of Florida this week, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays has been hit.

Videos captured on Wednesday and Thursday showed the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg being torn apart by powerful winds, along with the aftermath.

Jomboy Media @JomboyMedia

The Tropicana Field roof has come off during Hurricane Milton<br><br>The ballpark was being used as shelter for first responders <a href="https://t.co/tBcrESzYdu">pic.twitter.com/tBcrESzYdu</a>

Bill Carl Johnson @BC_Johnson

<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TropicanaField?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TropicanaField</a> roof is coming off <a href="https://twitter.com/RaysTheRoofTB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RaysTheRoofTB</a> <a href="https://t.co/GNGpNcXiuV">pic.twitter.com/GNGpNcXiuV</a>

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

Drone footage captured Tampa Bay Rays' collapsed roof due to Hurricane Milton 😳<br><br>(via sohailbholaphoto/IG) <a href="https://t.co/7lKeBrREYv">pic.twitter.com/7lKeBrREYv</a>

Ryan Bass @Ry_Bass

Now that the sun is up, here's a 360-degree view of the damage Hurricane Milton caused to Tropicana Field's roof and the inside of the ballpark. Absolutely heartbreaking 💔 <a href="https://t.co/ZCtPHv6rE9">pic.twitter.com/ZCtPHv6rE9</a>

Milton made landfall on Wednesday evening in Tampa Bay and has already seen wind speeds up to 110 mph. The Category 2 hurricane has brought 10-14 inches of rain and is only supposed to continue throughout the night.

In the days leading up to the powerful hurricane, Tropicana Field was set up as a shelter for thousands of first responders and the National Guard. Unfortunately, the damage to the roof will likely make the shelter unusable.

Tampa Bay Rays @RaysBaseball

To our Rays family, fans and the entire Tampa Bay community. 💙 <a href="https://t.co/X9fwjZdcRX">pic.twitter.com/X9fwjZdcRX</a>

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that city officials said there have been no injuries as a result of Wednesday night's damage.

Front Office Sports @FOS

Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, is housing thousands of first responders and National Guard ahead of Hurricane Milton.<a href="https://t.co/z8QJQhTpa9">https://t.co/z8QJQhTpa9</a> <a href="https://t.co/0f6ASFjqAH">pic.twitter.com/0f6ASFjqAH</a>

The stadium, which opened in 1990, was designed with a slanted roof in hopes of better protecting it from hurricane damage. Though it has survived many powerful hurricanes over the years, the intense winds from Milton proved to be too much for the Trop.

Video Surfaces of Rays' Tropicana Field Roof Destroyed By Winds from Hurricane Milton
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While the safety of those being lodged at Tropicana Field will be the first priority, rebuilding the roof will likely take months of effort. Fortunately, that won't impact the Rays soon as their season is already over, but the stadium hosts a number of other events that could be affected.

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