Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida late Wednesday, tearing off the roof of Tropicana Field stadium in St. Petersburg, which was being used as a shelter for first responders.
Videos of the Category 3 storm’s path of destruction showed section after section of the stadium’s domed roof, constructed of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass, being shredded into pieces by the up to 101 mph wind gusts. According to the Tampa Bay Rays’ 2024 media guide, the roof was built to withstand 115 mph winds.
Footage reportedly taken by security personnel inside the facility captured pieces of the roof draped across stadium chairs and some of the thousands of empty cots set up for emergency responders.
In the days leading up to the storm, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) stated that the stadium was being used as a 10,000-person base camp to “support ongoing debris operations and post-landfall responders.”
According to officials, no injuries were reported at the stadium.
The city stated, “Late Wednesday night, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue has received two critical reports of incidents in downtown St. Pete: a crane collapse at the 400 Central building construction site and roof damage at Tropicana Field. No injuries have been reported in either incident at this time.”
“The public is urged to continue to shelter in place and avoid both areas until further notice.”
St. Petersburg also sustained a water main break that caused two sewer plants to be taken offline and a citywide drinking water alert to be issued. The sewer plants were brought back online in the morning.
Around 9:00 a.m. local time, the city announced that crews were working on recovery efforts, including fixing traffic signals. Local officials encouraged residents to remain off the roads until first responders are able to clear fallen trees and downed power lines.
Analysts with Jeffries Group, an investment banking company, previously reported that Hurricane Milton could cause as much as $245 billion in property damages in the Tampa Bay and Fort Myers areas.
“A 1-in-100-year event is estimated by some to result in $175 billion in losses for landfall in the Tampa region, and $70 billion in losses in the Fort Myers region,” they wrote.
Analysts with Morningstar DBRS, a global credit rating agency, estimated that the storm could result in up to $100 billion in insured losses.
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