Tropicana Field shredded by Hurricane Milton is the latest sports venue damaged by weather
Roof panels atop the home of the Tampa Bay Rays were ripped to shreds by Hurricane Milton, scattering debris across the field and throughout the seating areas after the deadly storm barreled across Florida.
Team officials said only a handful of essential personnel were inside Tropicana Field, located in St. Petersburg, when the storm hit. Aerial video and images showed the domed building’s roof completely tattered, giving a clear line of sight into the stadium.
No injuries were reported from the arena.
It the latest sports venue severely damaged by weather. Here’s a look at a few others:
Minnesota Vikings’ roof collapse
Heavy snow ripped a hole in the roof of the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis on Dec. 12, 2010.
At least three sizeable panels collapsed, prompting officials to delay the Vikings’ home game scheduled for the following day against the New York Giants. The game was pushed to Monday and played in Detroit.
The roof was replaced, but the stadium was demolished four years later.
Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility collapse
The Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility collapsed during a wind storm on May 2, 2009, injuring about a dozen players and coaches. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis and 33-year-old scouting assistant Rich Behm received the most severe injuries. DeCamillis needed surgery to stabilize a fractured vertebrae in his neck, and Behm was permanently paralyzed from the waist down after his spine was severed.
Georgia Dome shredded
A severe storm ripped a hole in the roof of the Georgia Dome during the Southeastern Conference Tournament on March 14, 2008. It delayed Mississippi State’s victory over Alabama for more than an hour and postponed a game between Georgia and Kentucky.
With Mississippi State leading with 2:11 left in overtime, a loud blast was heard inside the dome. The girders near the dome’s roof began to swing, and a gaping section was ripped open, dropping debris that included nuts and bolts.
Players and coaches from the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide were sent to the locker room, along with the coaches’ wives and children, and stadium officials began evacuating fans from the upper reaches of the stadium.
SEC officials ended up moving other tournament games to Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Superdome damaged by Hurricane Katrina
As Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans on Aug. 25, 2005, the Superdome was being used as a shelter to house roughly 30,000. A few hours into the ordeal, parts of the roof started peeling off amid violent wind. Daylight could be seen from inside the dome as rain poured in.
Within two days, the Superdome had no air conditioning and temperatures had reached the 90s. Significant flooding from broken levees caused the Superdome to slowly start filling with water, though it remained confined to the field level. The Superdome eventually had to be evacuated, with mass relocation to the Astrodome in Houston.
The Saints had to play their entire regular season on the road, splitting games between their temporary headquarters at the Alamodome in San Antonio and LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They even played their first home game at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
It cost roughly $185 million to fix the Superdome, which reopened for the Saints’ first home game in 2006.
