Hurricane Milton Completely Shreds Roof of Tropicana Field, Home of Tampa Bay Rays

Hurricane Milton slammed into Tampa, Florida overnight and did devastating damage. As images of the city have emerged, it’s been revealed that the storm shredded the roof off of Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball team the Tampa Bay Rays.

Now that Hurricane Milton has passed, photos of Tropicana Field show the roof of practically just steel beams, with all the covering torn down. While some of the material is hanging from the beams, the ballpark ground below is littered with debris left behind by the storm.

The Tampa Bay Times notes that the stadium had been set to be a hub for first responders working on emergency services in the aftermath of the storm. Hundreds of beds intended to provide them rest were set up in Tropicana Field stadium before Hurricane Milton hit the city.

Ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor delivered a strong warning for locals. During an appearance on CNN, Mayor Castor told residents of her city who reside in evacuation zones that “you are going to die” if they attempt to ride out the massive storm.

“I can say this without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die,” the mayor said, going on to note that the storm surge for Milton “is not survivable,” should it come in as predicted. She also stated that she expects the aftermath to be “catastrophic.” 

“This is something that I have never seen in my life,” Castor told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins. “And I can tell you that anyone who was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area has never seen anything like this before. People need to get out.”

Now that Hurricane Milton has passed, state officials will begin to survey the damage and determine the next steps for rebuilding.