Marlins Park gearing up for Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma, tracking to hit South Florida this weekend, could be the first real test for Marlins Park.

The stadium, which opened in 2012, is built to withstand a Category 4 storm, which includes winds up to 156 mph. Irma was at Category 5 on Wednesday and, though expected to weaken, is expected to be a still-formidable Category 4 storm, with winds of 145 mph or more, upon its likely landfall.

The Marlins – whose games in Atlanta and Philadelphia the next week are not expected to be affected – are taking every precaution with their home ballpark. They began tracking the storm as early as last Thursday.

“This is one we need to take seriously,” said Claude Delorme, the Marlins’ executive vice president of operations and events.

Delorme said the Marlins’ business and ballpark operations people started having daily preparedness meetings Tuesday, setting into motion a plan that will conclude Friday day with the closing of the stadium’s retractable roof.

That roof, however, will be ajar in several spots – a 16-foot gap on the east side, a 10-foot gap in the center and a 10-foot gap on the west side.

“It allows the air and the pressure to come inside the ballpark and eventually leave the ballpark,” Delorme said. “It avoids putting a lot of uplift on the roof. It was designed that way so we wouldn’t get any major damage to our roof.”

The 9,300-pound roof will be tied down with 56 large steel anchors.

“Even with the pressure and the winds, once you lock it in, that roof isn’t moving,” Delorme said.

Wednesday, crews began installing at the ballpark’s many entrances 29 flood gates, which will protect the entire building against floods up to 10 feet above sea level – one foot above the 100-year flood mark.

Inside Marlins Park, there will be plenty of housekeeping to do, particularly Thursday: reduce the water levels of and protect with wood panels the aquariums behind home plate; dress the bobblehead museum on the concourse in bubblewrap; disconnect and cover the ATMs; ensure all drains are clear and concessions are locked up.

Also Thursday, the operable wall in left field will be closed. That needs to happen before sustained winds of 25 mph arrive.

On Friday, they’ll close the roof. That needs to happen before sustained winds of 40 mph arrive.

Then, the Marlins wait.

“Once the storm has passed, we’ll re-open everything and hopefully we’ll be ready to play Friday Sept. 15,” Delorme said.

In the event of major devastation, there are no set contingency plans to turn Marlins Park – which is owned by Miami-Dade County but operated by the Marlins – into a shelter, Delorme said. But if it came to that, the Marlins will do what the community needs.

“The only way the county would ask us is if it was a major catastrophe, a Category 4 or 5 and the city was shut down and they needed to accommodate so many people and were looking for facilities,” Delorme said. “By all means, we would be accommodating.”