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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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An aerial drone view shows Tropicana Field with the roof damaged after Hurricane Milton in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

An aerial drone view shows Tropicana Field with the roof damaged after Hurricane Milton in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

The roof of the Tropicana Field is seen damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

FILE - An interior view of the Metrodome is seen, Dec. 16, 2010, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Jeff Wheeler, File)

FILE - Barricades are overturned in front of the Georgia World Congress Center, next to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, March 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File)

FILE - Firefighters investigate the collapsed canopy that covered the Dallas Cowboys indoor football facility in Irving, Texas, May 2, 2009. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - This combination of Aug. 30, 2005, left, and July 29, 2015, aerial photos shows downtown New Orleans and the Superdome flooded by Hurricane Katrina, left, and the same area a decade later. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, left, and Gerald Herbert, File)

FILE - National Guard trucks haul residents through floodwaters to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina hit in New Orleans, Aug. 30, 2005. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

FILE - A fire fighter, center, stands surrounded by the collapsed canopy that covered the Dallas Cowboys indoor practice facility in Irving, Texas, on May 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

Communities in Florida still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Helene are now also grappling with the still-unfolding damage from Hurricane Milton. The storm crashed into a community south of Tampa, drenching counties with torrents of rain, downing power lines and bridges and kicking up dangerous storm surges.

Here is some advice from experts about how to help:

— Send cash: The needs of people and organizations are evolving and won't be fully known for days or weeks. Cash offers responders flexibility and can immediately be deployed to help. Only send-in kind assistance like food, clothing or other equipment upon the request of organizations who are already working in impacted communities. Managing these kinds of gifts can divert the resources of receiving organizations, despite the best intentions.

— Give to charities already working in impacted communities: Local branches of the United Way will be directly serving people in the immediate aftermath of the storms. The Red Cross is also providing immediate shelter for tens of thousands of Floridians. They also urged people in areas proximate to the hurricane's trajectory to donate blood if they are able. Grassroots and worker organizations, like those that serve immigrants, have already been providing critical information, translation and support to groups that may struggle to access state or government services. The Florida Philanthropic Network, an alliance of funders, has put together a list of emergency response funds organized by community foundations and other nonprofits, for those who want their gifts benefit more than one organization.

— Consider waiting or signing up for recurring donations: It can often take months to truly scope the needs and challenges after disasters, especially as warming oceans caused by climate change are making hurricanes more intense. Communities face a long journey to recovery. Signing up to give even small donations regularly to local organizations helps those nonprofits plan, which can allow them to act more efficiently and effectively. Community foundations often have deep networks and excellent relationships with local nonprofits and may set up fundraisers to help with long term recovery needs. For example, the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay has collected a list of critical needs from local organizations, who they have vetted and to which you can donate to directly.

— Mutual aid can be powerful: Giving directly on crowdfunding sites or through cash transfer apps can make a profound difference in people's lives. GoFundMe takes steps to verify the identities of the people who start campaigns. If you make direct gifts to individuals, consider also donating to organizations that respond to community-wide needs.

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

A man and child leave a rescue boat after high flood waters entered their apartment in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A house lies toppled off its stilts after the passage of Hurricane Milton, in Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A car is submerged in flood water at an apartment complex in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)