Damage survey.

[RobDoc]

We were able to get out this morning and travel (by WDW transport) around the world.

Damage at OKW seems to be mostly to landscaping. No obvious structural damage was noted in any areas. Lots of uprooted trees, limbs and leaf litter was strewn all over sidewalks and roadways. There were lots of CM's with leaf-blowers addressing the clutter.

On the way to MK, there are many trees down. Some areas appear to have been hit by staright-line winds as these pockets have sustained significant damage to wooded areas. These winds are common in heavy thunderstorms and are sometimes similar to damage found as a result of tornadic activity (no tornados were sighted in the WDW area).

At the MK, everything seemed to be in good shape. Minor landscape damage had already been addressed before the park even opened.

On the monorail trip to Epcot, the wooded areas again took some heavy wind damage and there are large areas with standing water. Some of this damage is left over from Charley and Frances- so it is tough to distinguish all of the new damage- but the overall effect is visually significant.

Epcot still had lots of landscape litter all over the park- especially the WS area, but there were many CM's working on that also. No apparent damage to any structures in the park. The Living Seas apparently did suffer some roof damage as there were about 20 workers up there as the monorail passed by. The Living Seas attraction and Coral Reef were open however.

We walked over to the Dolphin and noted roof damage to BWV (minimal shingle damage), BC (a little heavier shingle damage) and YC (very large areas where shingles had been torn from the roof). No notice of any roof damage at BCV (but we didn't have a great view of that roof area). We check in at BCV on Friday- so hopefully all will be well by then.

The area of damage on the YC was also apparently already scheduled for renovation anyway, as there was already scaffolding up, construction barriers in place and a large work force of painters (painting the siding) in addition to the crews working on the roof damage.

All in all, the level of organization, preparation and effort exhibited by the Disney CM's has been very impressive.

In contrast to yesterday, today is sunny, light breeze, humid and 88 degrees! Just like it's supposed to be ... !!

 

[lillasmom]

Thanks for the report, Doc. I hope the rest of your stay is grand!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for the report! I would imagine everything is pretty well saturated down there, with nowhere for water to go. Is the mold begining to be an issue? We will be down in 2 1/2 weeks.

On a lighter note, did you get a look at any progress on the OKW slide?

 

[Doctor P]

Having been there during Frances, I can attest that much of the damage to YC was probably from the earlier storms. There were some large patches of shingles missing and they had scaffolding up as of September 6 to deal with a lot of that damage and for other refurbishing. There was also a significant amount of tree damage along the roads to MK and along the golf course around OKW at that time.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by WebmasterDoc
All in all, the level of organization, preparation and effort exhibited by the Disney CM's has been very impressive.

This is exactly why we have chosen Disney/DVC to be our continual vacation destination.

Thanx for the report!

PS- Doc, any info you can gather about VB would be a bonus.... We all know you have inside sources...

MG

 

[JimC]

Thanks for the update and enjoy your trip.

 

[CarolMN]

Thanks for the report, and also for the ones you did just prior to and during the storm.

Glad everyone seems to be safe and that the damage to the WDW resort is mostly landscaping. Sure wish the rest of Florida could say the same.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who suffered loss, especially those who lost a loved one.

Best wishes -


.

 

[jarestel]

Nice job keeping us all informed, Doc. We appreciate the effort!

 

[RobDoc]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
...
On a lighter note, did you get a look at any progress on the OKW slide?

Glad you asked. I had on my trusty orange vest and hard hat and got in two trips down the slide ... before a supervisor handed me a shovel and told me to get back to work!

... (Actually, they have done some excavation in the location of the slide, but no structure has yet started to appear. I had hoped to get a few photos, but there hasn't been enough change yet to get a pic of anything significant- maybe someone can get some shots in November, as that's when I would expect some progress to be visible. Right now, only ground prep and engineering efforts are being addressed.)

(Stay Tuned!! )

No word about VB yet, but there have been some scary looking news videos of the damage in that area. Lots of beach erosion, lots of flooding and lots of structural damage to the VB area. I suspect the resort has again come thru it well structurally, but am concerned about the loss of more beach (and with that concern comes worry about the Beach Cottages since they may be affected by continued erosion near their foundations).

 

[jekjones1558]

Great report! In your spare time you can contract your services with CNN or The Weather Channel.

 

[lsutigger2]

Doc, thanks for the continued updates!

Have you had a chance to go over to VWL yet?? I think I read on another post about a tree being down on some part of one of the buildings Don't know for sure, I could be making this up!!

Be safe and enjoy your stay - just glad you'll be gone by the time we get there. You do seem to attract the worst kinds!!!
Just kidding! But you have to admit, your record this year is pretty impressive!

 

[Terry S]

Thanks for the update Doc!

You know that wooded/wetlands area at BC/BCV on the right hand side as you walk over the bridge from Epcot. Did the winds by chance blow any of those down? Those trees are going to block my Illuminations view from my balcony in few years if they didn't get blown over!

 

[travelbug]

Thanks for keeping us so well informed, Doc. I hope the rest of your stay is great.

 

[MJTinNH]

Thank you again for your on-the-spot reporting! I appreciate your assessments of the damage and clean-up efforts!

 

[WithDisneySpirit]

Thanks Doc!!!! You're the best

Lisa

 

[Patty3]

Doc, thank you so much for the updates. We were all so worried about you guys living and vacationing in Florida. Hope the rest of your stay is pure magic.

 

[mb168]

Thanks Doc. We'll be at BCV in 2 weeks for F&W to check it out. Hope no more storms pop up.

STAY AWAY LISA!!!

 

[Desperado]

Glad your safe Doc.

 

[WDWJWEB1]

Thanks for the update Doc!
also we're sending lots of pixie dust to all of Florida.

 

[SamSam]

Doc, thanks for the continuing updates. As a bonified Disney Fanatic, I'm always concerned about how things are.