Are the resorts built to withstand hurricanes?

[dmw@lakenorman]

Hi - I am curious if the building codes are such that we would be safe in a Disney Resort during a hurricane? I know a lot depends upon the severity so this may be tough to answer. Also - if you are there during a hurricane do you stay in your individual room, do they move you to a central location, etc.? Would love to know from the Disney experts and from people who have been there during past storms. Thanks for you responses - not trying to worry too much, but the more I know the better I feel.

 

[DebbieB]

The only resort I ever heard of them evacuating is Fort Wilderness.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Even though it did not become a Hurricane my family and I were at the Contemporary during Tropical Storm Fay and had alot of rain for 4 straight days. We felt very safe and did not think anything serious was going to happen. One night while walking past the bus stop there was heavy and I mean heavy winds which almost made it impossible to walk straight, so we had to walk very slow. However we eventually got out of the windy area and were inside the lobby.

 

[Disney1976]

Disney is one of the safest places you can be during a hurricane. The buildings are concrete block, very solid. I know in 2004, Hurricane Charley hit some part of South Orlando with sustained winds of 110+ mph, to say nothing of individual gusts and "microbursts". The hotels made it through fine, and didn't lose power, unlike the rest of Orlando! By constrast, my neighborhood in South Orlando where I was living (5 minutes from Disney) was wrecked. You haven't seen the awesomeness of a hurricane until you see a chimney ripped off one home, sitting on the roof of another.

If you are staying in a value or moderate resort, they will tell you if you need to stay in your individual room and when it is safe to exit. Deluxe resorts, with interior corridors, allow guests staying there more flexibility to move about the hotel, however.

 

[Feralpeg]

I stayed at AKL during hurricane Frances. Only for a few hours did they request that we remain in our rooms. That was during the peak hours of the storm. During that time, they brought boxed lunches to the various hallways for guests to purchase. The rest of the storm, we were free to roam the interior of the lodge. They did have the main doors to the lodge chained closed with sandbags against them.

 

[bszoo]

MY DD and I were at the BCV's during Hurricane Charley. We were asked to bring the furniture in from the balcony and to stay in our rooms when the hurricane was passing by. We were supplied with a box lunch before it hit. We never lost power. The parks and restaurants closed early to let CMs go home and everything opened up a little later the next day (Saturday). I found it to be a very safe place to be. We may have been just lucky - I was told we were on the "right" side of the storm

 

[disnut8]

Let's put it this way. When my dad and my sister's family lived in the Keys, everyone from there went to Disney World (not just the Orlando area - Disney World specifically) for evacuation. Safest place for it.

We checked in right before Francis hit and the Cast Member told us the same thing. Guests are not moved to a central area unless it's absolutely necessary (such at Fort Wilderness with the trailers and tents potentially flying around).

During Francis, we never lost power, water, or cable in our room. We were more secure there than a lot of people in that area.

As a precaution, pack a deck of cards and some easy games to play in the room. Disney will take care of the rest.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Best part is Orlando and Lake Buena Vista are rather far inland, so usually the storm will be decreasing in strength by the time it gets to WDW. Doesn't mean there won't be wind damage, though. You should be very safe in your hotel room.

 

[dmw@lakenorman]

and I bet everyone else who reads your responses will be put at ease a little. I know some people still have the issue of flying into the area so we'll all keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Thanks again - the people at the Disboardsare the 'bestest'!!!

 

[hmhs]

Does anyone have experiences with any tornadoes than are spurn from hurricanes while at WDW?

 

[LilGMom]

I believe buildings in FL have to be made to withstand 125mph winds minimum. And there are hurricane straps attaching the walls to the foundation and the walls to the roofs. If we have to evacuate again we will head south to WDW!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

I believe buildings in FL have to be made to withstand 125mph winds minimum. And there are hurricane straps attaching the walls to the foundation and the walls to the roofs. If we have to evacuate again we will head south to WDW!

Don't rely too much on building codes(not reffering to Disney here), many were changed in 1992 after Andrew, so an older building will not be built to the same code as a newer one. Doesn't mean they are not safe, just not to the same codes.

 

[dburg30]

It's one of the great things about having all your utilities underground They can get knocked out, but it's a lot harder..

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

and I bet everyone else who reads your responses will be put at ease a little. I know some people still have the issue of flying into the area so we'll all keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Thanks again - the people at the Disboardsare the 'bestest'!!!

You're welcome and have a great time at WDW.

 

[SeaSpray]

We were staying at the Polynesian resort during Hurricane Dennis (July 2005) and when I woke up in the middle night because of the sound of the wind, I pulled back the drapes and couldn't believe what I saw - all of the palm trees were being blown into a 45 degree angle! Those are some strong trees (and of course, they're meant to bend with the wind)!! While I did hear the wind howling, the building itself and the sliding glass doors weren't moving at all. It felt very safe and secure, and this was on the third floor.

Have a safe, wonderful trip!


P.S. Speaking of Hurricanes, and reading some people mention Hurricane Frances, we were on the Disney Magic cruise ship during that hurricane and were kept out at sea for an extra 3 nights! (We never experienced a drop of rain because the captain took us further south along the Mexican coast, to keep us AND the ship, completely safe).

P.P.S. Without giving away any "secrets" from the Keys to the Kingdom tour, suffice it to say that the Magic Kingdom would be an EXTREMELY safe place to be during ANY kind of storm/emergency!

 

[raven69david]

We were in a hurricane in August 2006 (Ernesto) while at AKL and it was an awesome experience. Staff kept us up to date and announcements played on the resort tv channel. We even went swimming while it was raining and made the most of it since we never use the pools. Found out alot about the resort and have fallen even more in love with it since then.

I posted this info on the following thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1923569

 

[Disney1976]

I believe buildings in FL have to be made to withstand 125mph winds minimum. And there are hurricane straps attaching the walls to the foundation and the walls to the roofs. If we have to evacuate again we will head south to WDW!

That actually may vary a bit by county. I think Dade county and the surrounding counties who were impacted hard by Andrew (a Cat 5 storm) have a building code that says buildings must be able to withstand wind GUSTS of up to 125 mph (not maximum sustained wind speeds). Within Orange County (which Disney falls into) it's a 100 mph gust requirement, per the most recent code. I only happen to know that about Orange County because the law firm where I work is involved in some litigation over Hurricane Charley, and I've had to review code, lol.

Although older buildings obviously don't have to comply with new code, I think Orange County has been fairly consistent with their requirements for some time. I would also say Disney's construction is in general much stronger than a lot of structures in the area. Not to say they couldn't sustain damage, just that they are very secure buildings.