INTERNATIONAL

Hurricane Milton leaves this MLB team with huge damage

The Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, was badly affected as Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s Gulf Coast at a category 3 on Wednesday. Chats and photos on social media explain that most of fabric that clad the domed roof had been blown away by the storm.

The destroyed roof of the Tropicana Field is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)(AP)

The official of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, Capt. Garth Swingle said that contact has been made with the people inside the stadium, and they are safe. Could the interior of the stadium have experienced any destruction? None has been revealed yet. There is no record of casualties at this venue.

“We are fortunate and grateful that no one was hurt by the damage to our ballpark last night. Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field. In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building,” the Rays said in a statement.

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Tropicana Field boasts world’s largest cable-supported dome

Tropicana Field, built in 1990 for $138 million, is designed to withstand winds of up to 115 mph. It features the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, which is held together by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.

The stadium’s roof is made from ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a durable polymer that is lighter than glass but stronger. While the metal frame of the roof appears to be intact, concerns about the damage to the fabric remain.

The stadium is slated for replacement by 2028 with a new $1.3 billion ballpark.

Earlier, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had announced that Tropicana Field was intended to serve as a “temporary base camp” for debris cleanup operations and to provide shelter for first responders. The stadium was set up to accommodate 10,000 people, with cots arranged on the playing field.

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“They were relocated,” DeSantis assured. “Tropicana Field is a routine staging area for these things. The roof on that … I think it’s rated for 110 mph and so the forecast changes, but as it became clear that there was going to be something of that magnitude that was going to be within the distance, they redeployed them out of Tropicana. There were no state assets that were inside Tropicana Field.”

He noted that it wasn’t “the worst-case scenario.” He highlighted Sarasota County as the area most affected by the storm surge, which reached between 8 and 10 feet. “We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis concluded.

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