The highly anticipated Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night in Siesta Key, Florida. The storm brought winds as high as 120mph and an outbreak of tornados, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated Florida’s west coast.
Around 10:46 PM, Bill Carl Johnson began live tweeting as the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, was being ripped off by the storm’s extreme winds.
Florida Govenor Ron DeSantis said before landfall that Tropicana Field was going to be used as a staging area for first responders, but as the storm intensified, first responders were relocated. There were cots set to accommodate 10,000 personnel that could eerily be seen in photos of the destruction.
According to the Tampa Bay Rays media guide, the roof was built to withstand wind gusts up to 115 mph. Obviously standing no chance against the 120mph Milton wind gusts Wednesday night.
Thankfully, there were no reported injuries at Tropicana. It is currently unclear if the roof will be repaired by 2025 opening day.
Govenor DeSantis said in a press conference Thursday morning that 3.4 million are still without power, and confirmed five deaths as a result of Milton, a death toll that is expected to rise. Water rescues and damage assessment continues as new updates roll out.
Written By Raven Ullah, WUFO Intern
