Winds from Hurricane Irma have reportedly damaged the outer membrane of AmericanAirlines Arena‘s practice court, but the issue is being described as minor by the Miami Heat.
Local news outlets have been reporting that winds from Hurricane Irma had an effect on several sports facilities in the area, including Marlins Park–home to MLB’s Miami Marlins–as well as AmericanAirlines Arena. In the arena’s case, the Heat’s practice facility had its outer membrane damaged by the wind.
To this point, the team is saying that it believes that the damage is minor, and that the storm did not lead to any structural issues. More from The Sun-Sentinel:
The Miami Heat said Monday that roof damage to AmericanAirlines Arena inflicted Sunday by Hurricane Irma was superficial.
The Heat said that the outer membrane of the practice court alongside Biscayne Bay, which was left exposed on the side of the building, is believed to a “minor and nothing structural.”
The practice court is a separate facility from the main arena bowl, sitting alongside the team’s basketball-operations offices, including the executive suite of Heat president Pat Riley that sits hard alongside Biscayne Bay. The facility includes a full court and an additional half court at one end of the facility, with a training room and direct corridors to the team’s offices and a staircase to the Heat locker room.
The Heat are currently scheduled to begin training camp on September 26, with their first preseason game at AmericanAirlines Arena slated for October 1.
