Niamh Shackleton
A stadium housing 10,000 people in Tampa Bay ending up sustaining severe structural damage because of Hurricane Milton.
The hurricane hit parts of Florida on Wednesday (October 9), with people fleeing their homes before it arrived.
In the days leading up to it arriving in the The Sunshine State, Hurricane Milton had been dubbed a category five hurricane, but by the time it made landfall it had dropped to category three.
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While it wasn't as strong as first feared, Hurricane Milton has still wreaked havoc on the country and caused substantial damage to anything in its path.
One building to have suffered at the hands of Hurricane Milton is Tropicana Field, the home of the beloved baseball team Tampa Bay Rays.
The stadium was said to be housing as many as 10,000 Florida residents seeking shelter from the storm when part of its domed roof was torn off from the strong winds.
Reportedly the stadium was built to withstand winds of up to 115 mph, but Milton was reported to have wind speeds of up to 120 mph.
Tropicana Field's roof is said to be 'world's largest cable-supported domed roof' that's is supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts, ABC News reports.
While parts of the roof were blown off in the winds, its metal frame is said to still be intact.
In regards to those being housed inside the stadium, Capt. Garth Swingle of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue confirmed to ABC News that they'd been in touch with them and they were safe.
Videos of the stadium being battered by Hurricane Milton have been doing the rounds online, with one clip seeing elements of the roof flailing in the wind.
The view from our window as we ride out the storm. The roof of Tropicana Field is destroyed by the winds of #HurricaneMilton. Praying for Tampa Bay and all areas affected. Stay safe, everyone pic.twitter.com/uy0aNGMAuJ
— Dave Moore (@DaveMoore_83) October 10, 2024
"The view from our window as we ride out the storm," one person sharing footage wrote on Twitter. "The roof of Tropicana Field is destroyed by the winds of #HurricaneMilton. Praying for Tampa Bay and all areas affected. Stay safe, everyone."
When hitting land as a category three hurricane, Hurricane Milton caused over 1,000,000 power outages.
By 10pm EDT, the severity of the storm was dropped to a category two.
People who were in the area at the peak of Hurricane Milton are now sharing their first-hand accounts of what they witnessed.
"A cement bench flew of the roof of a neighbouring hotel and crashed down next to me," Matthew Cappucci from Sarasota, Florida, told the BBC.
"Traffic lights were flying in the wind and pieces of people's roofs were flying past me.
"It is probably one of the most intense hurricanes I've ever seen."
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