Roof of Tropicana Field severely damaged by Hurricane Milton

The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, was severely damaged by strong winds associated with Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.

Images and videos on social media showed that most of the fabric covering the domed roof had been torn off.

The baseball stadium in St. Petersburg has been designated as a base for first responders and state and local emergency services to assist with debris removal. The facility was designed for 10,000 people and camp beds were set up on the playing area.

Capt. Garth Swingle of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue told ABC News there had been contact with the people inside and they were safe. It was not immediately known whether there was any damage to the stadium.

The roof is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a polymer that is stronger than glass but significantly lighter. The metal frame appeared to be intact.

According to the Rays, the Trop was built to withstand winds of up to 115 miles per hour. The roof is supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts, making what the team calls the “largest cable-supported dome roof in the world.”

The stadium opened in 1990 and initially cost $138 million. It is scheduled to be replaced by a $1.3 billion baseball stadium in time for the 2028 season.

St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain due to the storm, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding. About 90 minutes after landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. Late Wednesday, the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 105 miles per hour and storm surge warnings were in effect for parts of Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Concerns about the storm and its impact on Florida forced the cancellation of Friday’s preseason game between the Magic and New Orleans Pelicans in Orlando, Florida, the NBA said. Orlando played at San Antonio on Wednesday night and was scheduled to return to Central Florida on Thursday. A team spokesman said the Magic will now stay in San Antonio for an additional day before departing on Friday.

The NFL’s Jaguars changed their travel plans to London on Thursday because of the storm, postponing their departure from Jacksonville until later that evening. The team is also postponing training on Thursday by several hours.

Countless college and high school sporting events in Florida have also been canceled or postponed due to the storm, which forecasters say is expected to bring torrential rain across much of the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.