Hurricane Ian is now a category 2 storm and continues to move closer to Florida, and with it, Walt Disney World Resort. As it continues on track towards Florida, the effects of the storm could begin being felt by the state as early as Tuesday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement that tropical-force winds could begin to hit South Florida and the Florida Keys on Monday night. “Storm surge has the potential to impact much of Florida’s west coast, with the highest risk from Ft. Myers to the Tampa Bay region,” the statement read.
Projection models for the storm continue to show quite a few different paths for where the hurricane could make land. Multiple models have forecasted that the storm will come ashore near Tampa Bay. This would be the first direct hit for the area since 1921 and could be disastrous.
“The last major hurricane that actually made a direct hit was 100 years ago,” said meteorologist Rick Davis of the National Weather Service’s Tampa office. “So there’s a lot of people that have been brushed by hurricanes in the last five or 10 years in Florida.” Davis also said, “We tell people even if they’re lifelong Floridians like myself, this is something that we haven’t seen in our lifetime… So we definitely need to take it seriously.”
On the West coast of Florida, residents are being encouraged to leave. On the East coast, the same has not been advised yet. In Central Florida, Walt Disney World Resort has announced changes in its operations due to the hurricane. This includes the closure of Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and also Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf. Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue performances have been canceled. Several resorts have also seen closures. This includes Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Daps Magic continues to follow the path of Hurricane Ian and the impact it has. Updates can be found at DapsMagic.com/Hurricane-Ian. For those who have trips to Walt Disney World Resort impacted by the storm, Walt Disney World’s hurricane policy can be found here.
