Tropicana Field, the historic home of the Tampa Bay Rays American baseball franchise, collapsed under the violence of Hurricane Milton. It had been designated as a shelter for 10,000 people but “the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof” collapsed under gusts of 35 meters per second.
Between the enormous devastation of Hurricane Miltonwhich hit Florida, too Tropicana Fieldhistorical headquarters of major league baseball team, Tampa Bay Rays since 1998. The facility collapsed under the violent gusts of wind and the roof was torn off, making it unusable. It had been indicated as a possible refuge for around 10,000 people seeking shelter from the tornado.
Milton’s rampage on Tropicana Field, no shelter for thousands of people
Earlier in the week, as the state of Florida prepared for Hurricane Milton’s arrival, it was assumed that it would be a category five tornado, but by the time it made landfall it had dropped to a category three, before rising again in the degree of danger. Precisely Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays – which boasts a capacity of 42,735 people – had been indicated for be used as a shelter for approximately 10,000 residentsbut its domed roof did not hold up.
No casualties, only damage to the structure caused by Milton
Florida governor Ron DeSantis reassured the population during a press conference following the damage caused by the hurricane to the stadium: “The citizens who were supposed to go there were transferred. Tropicana Field is a routine staging area for these things and yet the roof… When it became clear that there was going to be a tornado of that size and that the structure was going to be within the predicted distance, we moved everyone away and redistributed people – there was nobody inside Tropicana Field.”
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Tropicana Field, the hurricane stadium swept away
As reported by the American broadcaster ABC, the roof of Tropicana Field is considered forever “the largest cable-supported domed roof in the world” and features 180 miles of cables connected by struts. A huge, state-of-the-art facility that had been designed to withstand winds of up to 30 meters per second. Unfortunately Milton recorded much higher gusts, with one wind speed up to 35/ms who saw the structure give way, which collapsed, uncovering the roof.
