Hurricane Irma?

[Draydey]

Stream of them preparing in MK

 

[Tom Cottone]

You do realize that the first responders you are mentioning are in fact Disney employees, don't you? WDW is pretty much a self-sufficient incorporated city. They have their own EMS/Fire/LE. They also have their own municipal utilities district too. I once interviewed for a position at one of their power generating stations. That was way back when, like when Orlando still had a Navy base there (Company C173, July 1980, NNPS 8104).

First responders are NOT Disney employees. They are part of Reedy Creek Fire & Rescue.
Fire department employees do not work for Disney. The Walt Disney World Company is a private company. Fire department employees work for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a totally separate entity from the Walt Disney World Company, The District is a government agency that was created in 1967 by the Florida legislature to provide public services for Disney World. It is an independent taxing district that basically can do all those things that a county can do except perform law enforcement functions or issue business licenses. The District itself straddles two counties in Florida: Orange and Osceola. The major taxpayer in this legislatively created district is, of course and hands down, the Walt Disney World Company which also, by the way, still has to pay taxes to both counties.

 

[Gilbert Loo]

You do realize that the first responders you are mentioning are in fact Disney employees, don't you? WDW is pretty much a self-sufficient incorporated city. They have their own EMS/Fire/LE. They also have their own municipal utilities district too. I once interviewed for a position at one of their power generating stations. That was way back when, like when Orlando still had a Navy base there (Company C173, July 1980, NNPS 8104).

I know the state and local counties have said they would not risk the lives of their first responders during the storm and folks that have not evacuated will be on their own. They will not respond to 911 calls during the hurricane.
Not sure if WDW first responders are different in their safety protocols.

 

[bobbie68]

2 tornadoes have formed in Fort Lauderdale. They are reporting they can continue to form up that east coast side. Everyone stay safe.

 

[Farro]

Hurricanes shouldn't be allowed to also form tornadoes. It's like double-dipping.

 

[Draydey]

2 tornadoes have formed in Fort Lauderdale. They are reporting they can continue to form up that east coast side. Everyone stay safe.

Did see that they dissipated they were "waterspouts"z .

 

[chartle]

Stream of them preparing in MK

watching it now

 

[DoTheDisFam]

REMINDER-- please talk about the topic, and be courteous in your responses to other posters. No debating, no judging others, no snark. Anyone who cannot follow these guidelines or who responds disrespectfully will find that they are no longer able to participate here.

Feel free to discuss Irma, play nice.

 

[suevee]

Kristen Bell tweets she is holing up at Swan and Dolphin sitting out storm. She is in middle of making a new movie and they couldn't evacuate.

 

[Imamom2]

Watching the news all day here and the storm surge is no joke. As a Sandy survivor here in Jersey it was the storm surge that did the most damage to the shore. Sandy hit us as a Tropical Storm or Super Storm - not even a Cat 1 hurricane - and we were without power for days. Schools closed for over a week. Keeping all of Florida in our thoughts. Moderators - if you know of a way those of us arriving in the next 2 weeks can donate please let us know.

 

[DLM1980]

Took a nap around 3, just woke up and my county decided to issue a voluntary evacuation now, trying to get any local news on the local TV stations carried by DirecTV sucks Just a stupid crawl along the bottom of the screen, heaven forbid they interrupt a football game to say the governor is speaking!

Alright boys and girls, I'm out, just booked the last studio at an extended stay in New Orleans. even a voluntary evacuation is enough to send me packing! Stay Safe my friends!

 

[Speri337]

Watching the news all day here and the storm surge is no joke. As a Sandy survivor here in Jersey it was the storm surge that did the most damage to the shore. Sandy hit us as a Tropical Storm or Super Storm - not even a Cat 1 hurricane - and we were without power for days. Schools closed for over a week. Keeping all of Florida in our thoughts. Moderators - if you know of a way those of us arriving in the next 2 weeks can donate please let us know.

Don't forget that we had to cancel Halloween . That was a pretty sad Halloween.

 

[Dreams.of.Disney]

I have followed this thread for all 243 pages and many others actually for months now, but decided to bite the bullet and finally make an account. Does anyone know what happens to the safari animals at Animal Kingdom? Are they just left out on the safari to their own devices or will they have been rounded up somewhere safely inside?

Also just a note on UK guests. We're supposed to be flying in on the 19th, and I doubt even if I wanted to cancel I would get my money back. I know that British Airways weren't offering refunds for people for most of this week. Their premise was "If we're taking a flight and you're not on it that's your problem because there hasn't been an official warning"

It costs thousands of pounds for a family to fly out to Orlando from the UK and with no way of getting a refund or exchange I can see why people chose to go. I also have friends who live in Florida and I just hope that everyone in the path of this is safe and well.

 

[erinch]

Hi Dreams of Disney. Thousands of pages upstream people said that each type of animal has their own "house" to ride out hurricanes. Even the crocodiles.

 

[Dentam]

Stream of them preparing in MK

Watching here as well - thanks for posting the link! I was just riding the People Mover yesterday! So empty there...

 

[Feralpeg]

I stayed at AKL during hurricane Frances. During the more intense part of the storm, we saw no animals out around the lodge. Once the winds died down some, we say buffalo and zebra out grazing. We did not see any antelope or girrafe out.

 

[Lauren Mitchell]

I just want to say that I have been following this thread all week, and I really appreciate everyone's input. Very helpful! We were due to be in Orlando yesterday. We pushed it back to the 22nd. Hopefully, we will not need to push it back again. We have 7 children, several of whom have special needs, so in addition to everything else, it is a lot of work to reschedule therapies and tough-to-book medical appointments. But we will reschedule again if necessary! (I hope it's not necessary. My oldest was supposed to turn 12 at MK. Disappointing, but such a small thing to be sad about in light of this enormous storm).
My sister lives in Navarre, so she hasn't evacuated (yet). Our prayers go out for all of Florida!
I will gratefully continue to follow this thread, as you all offer great information and updates. I want our vacation dollars to go to Disney and the Orlando area as soon as we can sensibly go!
Thank you all so much!

 

[awalker1015]

Don't forget that we had to cancel Halloween . That was a pretty sad Halloween.

That's right! Keep forgetting how late in the season that hit.

 

[Speri337]

To those reporting SW cancellations for next Tuesday: How are you receiving them? Email? Where are you flying out of?

 

[Dreams.of.Disney]

Hi Dreams of Disney. Thousands of pages upstream people said that each type of animal has their own "house" to ride out hurricanes. Even the crocodiles.

Omg and I've read all the pages!! They just move so fast I must have missed it. Thank you!! I've been so worried about them bless them. I couldn't help picturing them all just out on the savannah by themselves in the weather. I'm glad they've got spaces to go. Especially the giraffes being so high up and exposed to it all.