Tropicana Field was set up to be a refuge for thousands of storm personnel. Then the roof blew off
Hurricane Milton ripped off the roof of Tropicana Field, a Major League Baseball stadium that was set to be the makeshift shelter for thousands of first responders and cleanup crew.
Aerial footage above the stadium showed rows of empty cots surrounding the baseball diamond where the Tampa Bay Rays play.
“This is one of the most surreal things ever,” storm chaser Jonathan Petramala told CNN after he arrived at the stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.
Petramala said it was “like a maze to get through” the floodwater and debris as he drove from Tampa to St. Petersburg. He said several mobile home and trailer parks were “getting ripped to shreds.”
Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tropicana Field would be used as a 10,000-person base camp for debris cleanup operations and first responders.
No injuries were reported after the roof was destroyed, and officials urge residents to avoid the area of downtown St. Petersburg, a spokesperson for the city said.
CNN has reached out to the Rays and MLB for comment.
CNN’s Colin Jeffery and Jacob Lev contributed to this report.
