Photos of what appears to be Dodger Stadium surrounded by water have been going viral on social media after Tropical Storm Hilary hit Los Angeles. However, a team spokesman has confirmed the landmark located in the Elysian Park neighborhood is not actually flooded.
According to Dodgers senior director of public relations Joe Jareck, there could photo editing or just an optical illusion tricking people. Regardless of what the story behind the images is, he made it clear the stadium is fine.
"The stadium is not flooded and open for business, per usual," Jareck told Insider. "I think people may see what they want to. I just see a very wet parking lot."
Dodger Stadium is an island. pic.twitter.com/g2mQrKzgS3
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) August 21, 2023
On Monday, the Dodgers social media account had a little fun with the situation, sharing some photos of the stadium looking nice under a partially cloudy sky.
Dodger Stadium trending? We get it. It looks beautiful this morning. pic.twitter.com/oIrZjndZoZ
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 21, 2023
The level of flooding that it would take to actually turn Dodger Stadium into an island would be quite terrifying. To reach the stadium, fans must drive an inclined road or get a good workout in by walking up the hill. The most likely explanation for the eye-catching images is just wet concrete, as Jareck pointed out.
Hurricane Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm and become a post-tropical cyclone early Monday. It was the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years and led to record-breaking rainfall.
Dodger Stadium is safe and sound, but there are other areas in the state that have been affected. CBS News Los Angeles reported that thousands of people across Southern California lost power, and Palm Springs -- about two hours from L.A. -- lost 911 service Sunday night.
