Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 turned Category 2 storm, tore off the Tampa Bay Rays' home stadium, Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday night. Footage circulating on social media shows the non-retractable roof flying in the wind amid the landfall. Notably, per WFTS-TV in Tampa, no injuries were reported.
The stadium was housing first responders, as well as state and local emergency management services, all of whom were lending a hand in removing the debris. About 10,000 people were being sheltered at the ballpark, all of whom were safe, Capt. Garth Swingle of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue told ABC News. Images from the site show hundreds of cots strewn about for the personnel.
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Elsewhere online, people expressed their sympathies and prayers to all those affected by the devastation Hurricane Milton left in its wake, especially at the sight of the roof being torn apart. One user tweeted,
"That's heartbreaking to see. Tropicana Field was meant to be a safe haven for those in need. Hoping everyone is okay and that the community pulls together through this."
"I’m getting super dome Katrina flashbacks, I can only imagine how scared they are," one user tweeted.
"sounds like they'll need to find another place to accommodate the first responders," another pointed out.
"Nah Florida has been through many hurricanes in the past. LETS PULL THROUGH MY FELLOW FLORIDIANS!!!!" one user cheered on.
Several others questioned the integrity of the roof, noting that it might not have been the best idea to house medical personnel during such an intense storm.
"Wait…. They put workers in that thing, to sleep in, waiting this out? WTF thought that was a good idea?? Probably the most people it’s had in it since the 2008 World Series, but still, not the kind of place I’d think could withstand this," one user stated.
"there were thousands of emergency beds set up there… omg :(" another sympathized.
"Who thought that would have been able to stand up in a hurricane why they set it up for linemen to stay?" yet another stated.
Scores online sent their love and prayers to all those caught in the path of Hurricane Milton.
Hurricane Milton leaves massive destruction in its wake in Florida
Hurricane Milton has already been dubbed the "storm of the century," having made it to Florida on Wednesday evening. When it reached Siesta Key, just off Florida's central west coast, it was at a "dangerous Category 3."
By then, it was soaring, with winds reaching about 120 mph. While it initially made it to Category 5, twice, it weakened into a 3 and then a 2. However, as the storm moved inward, it settled down to Category 1 by the early hours of Thursday.
Regardless, by nightfall, Hurricane Milton left massive destruction in its wake, including a construction crane being brought down to the floor in St. Petersburg. About 125 homes were damaged, and per PoweOutage.us, around 3.2 million homes were left without access to electricity.
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