MIAMI, FL (CelebrityAccess) — Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic Basin, struck Florida over the weekend after making a deadly run through the Caribbean.
While no deaths in Florida were directly linked to the storm, more than 24 were people were killed on Carribean islands during the storm's transit.
The storm did leave millions in Florida without power, with officials cautioning residents that it may take weeks in some cases for full restoration.
The Amalie Arena said they would be closed until Tuesday, Sept. 12th due to the storm but did not report any damage to the venue.
The Miami Herald reported that both Marlins Park Stadium suffered damage to the liner of its retractable roof and may not be available immediately for baseball.
The Marlins said in a statement, that “the TPO (rubber and plastic) membrane on the West vertical face of the center panel of the roof will need to be replaced immediately following the conclusion of the 2017 season. This represents approximately six percent of the entire roof membrane. This membrane serves to weatherproof the roof structure.”
The Marlins said based on Monday’s assessment, “the building performed extremely well considering the intensity of the hurricane … The ballpark did not experience any flooding or water damage.”
The Herald also reported that the Miami Heat said that their practice facility and American Airlines Arena suffered damage to its roof from the storm.
The BB&T Center in Sunrise was re-purposed to serve as a shelter for Floridians displaced by the storm. Matthew Caldwell, the CEO and president of the BB&T Center tenant Florida Panthers stayed over at the venue with some of his staff to coordinate shelter operations.
Germain Arena south of Ft. Myers, which was also used as a shelter, suffered damage when several roof panels came off during the storm.
“Irma went over and we were all like, ‘Oh good, we survived.’ And then all of a sudden some of the panels came off the roof, I guess, and we started getting water pouring down in different places,” 61-year-old Mary Fitzgerald who was sheltering at the venue during the storm told the Associated Press. “It was like, ‘Oh my God, what is going to happen?’“
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport reported that they will reopen at 4 a.m. Tuesday. Miami International Airport also said they plan to resume limited service on Tuesday, pending damage assessments.
