As Hurricane Milton, dubbed the ‘storm of the century,’ sweeps across Florida, an adventurous thrill-seeker who chose to stay at Walt Disney World has captured footage of the resort enduring the storm’s wrath.
This powerful cyclone, which initially recorded winds of 180 mph, made its way to the Sunshine State on the evening of October 9 as a category three hurricane, with winds reaching 129 mph.
Though it has now weakened to a category one, earlier in the week, it had escalated to a category five. This intensity led experts to consider whether the Saffir-Simpson Wind scale might need expanding to include additional categories.
The National Weather Service reported that at least 27 tornadoes swept through the state yesterday, with a particularly deadly one in St. Lucie County that struck a retirement community, resulting in multiple fatalities.
Addressing the destruction, Sheriff Keith Pearson informed CNN: “We are not going to get into how many, but I can tell you it’s more than one person who has lost their life.”
This marks the third hurricane to impact Florida this year, leaving over three million residents without power across the state.
Despite Disney’s announcement that the Orlando-based Disney World resort would be closed on October 9 and 10, guests have found refuge in the resort’s hotels, with one capturing the storm’s fury from their room.
The TikTok video displays Hurricane Milton’s forceful winds battering the park, almost toppling palm trees, which managed to stay upright, at least within the 15-second clip.
@justthemeparks Hurricane Milton is here at Walt Disney World! We’re staying safe in our room at the Art of Animation & hope everyone else in Florida is safe too! We’d also like to say a huge thank you to all the cast members who are working through the hurricane and those who kept the Magic Kingdom open this morning! The small queue’s definitely helped distract us! ❤️😂 Trust us to time our vacation during a hurricane! 🌀 #hurricanemilton #wdw #waltdisneyworld #artofanimation #disneyparks #themeparks
Disney World advised guests: “Please prepare to shelter indoors in your room or building beginning at 8:30 PM, as the storm is expected to intensify.
“The Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, recreation offerings and Disney Springs are now closed through Thursday, October 10.”
Goldman Sachs analysts had predicted earlier in the week that the expected closures and disruptions caused by Milton would decrease Disney’s theme park division earnings by an estimated $150 million to $200 million this quarter.
Despite the life-threatening conditions, many in the state have opted to stay put, resulting in remarkable stories such as that of Pedro Casares.
The Florida resident took the unusual step of securing his Orlando home to prevent it from being demolished.
The hurricane’s sheer power was further demonstrated when the roof of Tampa Field stadium was completely torn off.
The full scope of Hurricane Milton’s destruction will become clearer today as daylight reveals the aftermath.
Meanwhile, social media users were relieved to learn that viral sensation ‘Lieutenant Dan’ survived the hurricane, despite his decision to remain on his boat.