ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. >> The Tampa Bay Rays said it may take weeks to fully assess how much damage was done to Tropicana Field, which saw its roof ripped to shreds by the force of Hurricane Milton as the deadly storm barreled across much of Florida.

The team said no one was injured when the St. Petersburg ballpark was struck by the storm on Wednesday night. A handful of “essential personnel” were inside Tropicana Field as the roof panels were blown apart, much of the debris falling on the field and seats below.

“Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field,” the Rays said Thursday. “In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building.”

Milton was the second hurricane to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in the span of two weeks, preceded by Hurricane Helene, which flooded streets and homes on that same side of the state and left at least 230 people dead across the South.

The Rays aren’t scheduled to play in the ballpark again until March 27, when they are supposed to play host to the Rockies to open the 2025 season.

For as bad as the damage was, the situation at Tropicana Field could have been worse. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had said earlier in the week that there were plans for the ballpark to serve as a “temporary base camp” to support debris cleanup operations and temporarily house some first responders. But those plans were changed as the storm neared, amid concerns that the roof simply would not survive Milton’s wrath.

“They were relocated,” DeSantis said at a Thursday morning news conference.”

The team previously said Tropicana Field features the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, with the panels made of “translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.

The roof was designed to withstand wind of up to 115 mph, according to the Rays. The stadium opened in 1990 at an initial cost $138 million and is due to be replaced in time for the 2028 season with a $1.3 billion ballpark.

Lightning home opener postponed>> The Tampa Bay Lightning will not play their home opener Saturday as planned.

The NHL said Thursday that Saturday’s Lightning game against the Carolina Hurricanes was postponed “amid recovery efforts in the Tampa Bay area from the impact of Hurricane Milton.”

No makeup date was announced. The Lightning will open the season at Carolina on Friday, and traveled there earlier this week to get out ahead of the storm. Tampa Bay’s home opener is now set for Tuesday against Vancouver.

Magic return delayed>> The Orlando Magic spent Thursday in San Antonio and were planning to return home on Friday, a day behind their original schedule for the week. The Magic played a preseason game in San Antonio on Wednesday night.

A preseason game that was to be played Friday in Orlando between the Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans was canceled.

USF game still on, but moved>> USF’s game with Memphis has been moved again.

The teams were scheduled to play Friday night in Tampa, then rescheduled to play there Saturday afternoon because of storm concerns.

And on Thursday night, the game was changed again with the site now set to be Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, about 90 miles northeast of Tampa.