TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida as a Category 3 storm, pounding cities with ferocious winds and rain, whipping up a barrage of tornadoes and causing an unknown numbers of deaths. It compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.

Hurricane Milton is bringing powerful winds, a storm surge and flooding to much of Florida on Thursday morning after making landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm Wednesday night.

Hurricane Milton's powerful winds overnight Wednesday severely damaged the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' home ballpark, Tropicana Field, which had been set for use by workers responding to the storm. Overhead TV images of the domed stadium in St. Petersburg showed big swaths of its paneled roof were left tattered in the wake of 100-plus mph winds.

Videos posted on social media showed the roof ripped to shreds with debris all over the field after Hurricane Milton slammed the area.

It’s not just the human residents of the Tampa area who’ve been told to ready for Hurricane Milton: the furry and four-legged locals at the city zoo are also relocating to storm-proof quarters.

Evacuation is unrealistic for many zoo and aquarium animals, so staffers are rolling out all their safety precautions as Hurricane Milton bears down.

By Rich McKay (Reuters) -As millions of people were under evacuation orders along Florida's Gulf Coast, the African elephants, Caribbean flamingos, pigmy hippos and about 1,000 other animals are riding out the monstrous Hurricane Milton at Tampa's zoo.