Part of Tropicana Field roof blown off during Hurricane Milton

High winds from Hurricane Milton destroyed part of the roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Officials said they were in contact with people inside the stadium and they are safe.

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[fluxcapacitor]

I'm really shocked that flimsy fabric didn't hold up.

[sportslife]

I wrote an article on this yesterday. This was almost inevitable, and I still don't know why they stationed people in there.

[robertbrooks]

It is a large tent - cheaper to fix than a real roof

[andrewlawrence]

It was an extremely unwise decision for authorities to think that a fabric roof would survive the effects of a category 3 hurricane…….seriously???

[arberahmetaj]

Remember this was supposed to be a category 4 hurricane look at the damage it did as a category 2

[ziziroberts]

I got a bad feeling as soon as I saw all of those beds in that big open space yesterday.

[thesilverblack]

Crazy sense of deja vu from the Superdome with Hurricane Katrina. I just hope it wasn't being used as a shelter.

[Aaron_R]

Most roofs need replaced every 20-30 years anyway. Tropicana Field is 34-35 years old.

[sparso]

Do Americans really call a “tent” a “roof”?

[Joel-zyzw]

The Astrodome in Houston is abandoned but has survived major hurricanes during it time without damage over 70 years. That structure was built solid, not like the roofed stadiums of today.

[pitbull]

Tampa Bay Rays finally got their retractable roof! LETS GO TAMPUH!!?!!

[cbeil]

Good thing the rays don’t need it until spring !

[davef.]

Why would anyone waste money on a fabric roof in hurricane country. Even a severe thunderstorm would destroy it.

[jefftiz]

PLEASE GET GRETA THUNBERG ON THE PHONE NOW!!!

[FedoraTigerOnYT]

This reminds me of the old Minnesota Vikings stadium roof being partially torn off by the amount of snow.

[dereklowrance]

The crane at 400 central just collapsed too

[torrisali]

Wondering if Somebody lied. It's supposed to withstand 115 mph wind. That wasn't the case. No tornadoes recorded there. Starting to look like a quality issue.

[sirbernardmendesfrance]

State to City officials were not able to forecast how intense the hurricane wind factors would affect their plans to [shelter residents] inside the stadium. Due to this uncertainty about the structural integrity of the stadium, an oversight about the impact on the weather could affect how stable the rooftop would have been better managed by predicting the same conditions notably in other cities historically over recent years. This failure to reasonably account for impending disasters such as this is likely because of the emergence of needed local aid and resources for displaced communities. Evacuation should have occurred within the allotted days prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton. And moved the emergency response elsewhere further inland (to Miami) away from the coastline in areas less prone to disaster risk, inside a stadium temporarily. Budgeting for the transition by bus or rail services to evacuate people from the areas of the city, citywide. Unless there are office buildings with reee standing generators and emergency services for emergency assistance to provide relief from flooding or other meteorological issues that would require immediate attention from local authorities to prevent a disaster from occurring. Office buildings that can withstand hurricane force should be fully equipped to handle the situation and provide shelter for people in those circumstances.

[DiegoHerrera]

Honest question, why in the name of God it had its lights ON????

[comradejones]

Didn't they have emergency response sheltered there? Are they idiots? Literally the worst building in Tampa for a shelter.