Tornado Warning- What does Disney do?

[WhatAWonderfulDay]

I was watching the weather channel and I noticed that Florida is getting hit with some terrible storms. Right now, Orlando is under a Tornado watch. I am wondering what happens if they upgrade it to a Tornado warning.

I would love to hear from anyone who has been in Disney World when a bad storm hits. I am wondering what the safety procedures are and if they ever close the parks down for the weather. Thanks in advance for your stories!

 

[donahue5]

years ago when I was at disney with my family there was a tornado watch. We had to go down to the bottom floor of the hotel and stay until it was over. Luckily everything was fine. I'm not sure if the parks were closed but I'm sure they would not take any chances

 

[disney111]

They hardly ever close the parks when there is bad weather, they just close down the outside rides. If there is a huge hurricane coming they might shut the park down or close it early - that has happened before.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

On a keys to the kingdom tour I was backstage - heading into the Utilidor and there was a poster with different levels of emergency management. Now it was a few years ago but I remember we were told that for a tornado...people would be evacuated to theaters. They were built for severe storms.

The most dire emergency (not defined - but would hate to think about what it is) in the Magic Kingdom - everyone is evacuated into the Utilidor.

I'm not sure about the other parks.

 

[mominRI]

we were theer many years ago when a tornado hit the air force base.
Disney kept on going like nothing was happening.
We had to ask management for a refund of Mickey's Halloween Party. They finally agreed to give a refund

 

[Dznefreek]

PAFB is nowhere near the park . . . .i that was the base.

 

[MissyDVC]

When we were there 2/21-2/27, one of those evenings, there were severe storms and we were under a tornado watch. We didn't notice anything different although we were at DTD when we heard. I am sure things were being watched very carefully but everything was going on as normal.

 

[aribelle]

We were there in January when there was a tornado watch...of course we didn't realize it was happening until we got back to the room and watched the evening news! Thank goodness we didn't know, or I'd have probably been in a total panic....it's one reason I'll never move to Florida (I'm a wimp).

We couldn't recall their shutting down any rides, they certainly weren't emptying the park....we tried to recall ANYTHING that was happening that was unusual and couldn't. So if they were doing something it was either all behind the scenes, or all that pixie dust in my eyes blocked out my normal "I can tell something is wrong" vibes.

 

[bradk]

orlando is rarely the victim of weather that requires the park to be shut down. but it has happened. in the worst case scenario, every resort is self sustaining. all can withstand severe winds, have their own power generators and supply of food.

in the past, when the parks have had to close, disney brings entertainment to the resorts.

 

[Luv2Roam]

There are some rides and attractions that shut down when lightening is within so many miles. (Would you really want to sit on metal bleachers out in the open waiting for Fantasmic with lightening coming in? )
Most FL rain showers move through and are gone in 20 - 60 minutes. And many are VERY spotty. We have been in downpours at MGM, leave, and go to MK that is perfectly dry.
Overall our weather here is pretty darn good. We are spoiled.
As mentioned we have tornado warnings right now. But all is quiet. Not even a rain drop that I am aware.
I lived most of my life in the midwest and never saw a tornado. When I moved from the midwest people assumed I had been in one, like it was mandatory for a midwestern to be involved a tornado. Chances are slim.

 

[ssjerauld]

Hi! We were there in Aug 2004 when Hurricane Charlie hit staying at Fort Wilderness. We were kept well informed of the potential ramifications, and when it became necessary we were evacuated to Port Orleans Riverside. The parks closed early, as did many of the restaurants, for safety reasons. Disney handled the whole situation very calmly and with much organization, answering all our questions and putting a very positive face on what could have been a nightmare. We felt safe.

 

[bdcp]

Tornado watch and tornado warning are two separate things. Watch means conditions are ripe for an event in the watch area. Warning means one has been spotted either visually or on radar. In the event of an actual warning of a tornado that was heading towards WDW, I'm sure they would evacute to safe areas. If they are operating as normal during a watch it means there is no threatening weather in the vicinity.

Oh and for the wimp who couldnt live in FL, tornadoes have happened just about everywhere in the US and Canada at some point in time. We get warnings in the DC metro area a couple of times a year outside of tropical weather. We just had a tornado watch Tuesday night. We had high winds, t-storms and rain, but no torndoes. I've lived in TX, MD and RI as well as different areas in VA, and all have had severe weather. FL does have a higher risk this time of year due to weather patterns, but outside of tropical storms/hurricanes, they dont' have as many tornadoes as, say, Oklahoma or Kansas (tornado alley). I'm just happy I have a basement in my house and where I work is a large building with a basement too.

 

[Schmeck]

we were theer many years ago when a tornado hit the air force base.
Disney kept on going like nothing was happening.
We had to ask management for a refund of Mickey's Halloween Party. They finally agreed to give a refund

Which air force base, and how far away was it from WDW?

 

[dawgsgirl]

I don't think Disney does anything when there is a torando warning. I know from experience they don't do anything when there is a severe thunderstorm warning--been there, done that. There are torando warnings from time to time around Orlando and I have never heard anyone report anything unusual in the parks. These things happen FAST. There is not very much time to get to a safe place.

 

[haleofafamily]

When we were there in Sept., my DH and I wanted to go to Fantasmic on our last night. It was raining hard with consistent lightning strikes so we called the front desk to find out if the boats were running. She said as long as the water wasn't too choppy the boats would run. When we got to the boat dock the boats were not running and the captain said they would not with the lightning in the area (which makes perfect sense). So we decided to walk/job to MGM for the show. Of course when we got to MGM we found out that Fantasmic was cancelled because of the weather. We were very disappointed (we have never seen Fantasmic). On the flip side ToT (which is my favorite ride) was still operating and it was the perfect night to ride it because of the scary weather. So we still got to do something really fun.
The next morning we were in DTD and I heard a woman talking on her phone telling people about a tornado that touched down just north of WDW. We checked our messages and had family very concerned about us because they had been watching it on the news. We had no idea the weather was that bad.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

we were there for Hurricane Jean and do not recall any ride closures, but the brunt of the storm hit and followed us to Tampa for the day. We live in the Pocono Mtns of PA and actually have had a tornado touch down 1 mile from our home. So as OP said you really can have a tornado anywhere.

 

[Cinders Mum]

we arrived into Orlando 4 hours before hurrican jeanne, and they did close the parks early that day, and the following day they remained closed while they cleaned up after the storm. Onsite we were well looked after, kept notified of when it was safe to leave our rooms, and the food court was soon open again and serving food. We were also compensated for our loss of park days, which was in our opinion above and beyond what disney needed to do, and we did not ask for anything, it was automatically allocated to us.

Val

 

[ireland_nicole]

Last June there was a tropical storm on its way to us, and we had absolutely no idea until we chatted w/ a day guest next to us in line about the worsening weather, and he mentioned why. Anyway, the parks never shut down, but we only got outlying bands, so it wasn't critical, just not pretty. But I'm sure enough that if we were truly in danger, WDW would look out for us-sure enough that we're going back in Sept.
Nicole

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Hi! We were there in Aug 2004 when Hurricane Charlie hit staying at Fort Wilderness. We were kept well informed of the potential ramifications, and when it became necessary we were evacuated to Port Orleans Riverside. The parks closed early, as did many of the restaurants, for safety reasons. Disney handled the whole situation very calmly and with much organization, answering all our questions and putting a very positive face on what could have been a nightmare. We felt safe.

I was there for Charlie too! We were at CBR and they kept us very informed also. We also felt very safe.

When I was working at DAK on my CP, there was a tornado warning. We just stayed in the entertainment building backstage. It was scary, but I kept trying to keep calm...I hate the though of tornados! Everything was fine though.

Hope all of the Disers who live in the effected areas are all well tonight!

 

[PrincessKara22]

My brother did the Keys To The Kingdom tour and the tour guide told them that the only time that Disney has ever officially closed the resort was on and after 9/11. IDK how true that is..