WDW Info for Today -- Charley

[nezy]

You mentioned Hurricane Donna--I grew up w/ the legend of "Hurricane Donna". My older brother was a newborn so any time there is a hurricane my mom brings out the "I REMEMBER HURRICANE DONNA...WE Needed to be rescued in boats, etc. etc"


Hope Charlie"s damage is minimal and of property-not people.

 

[lsutigger2]

I too knew where to come for the best information, and most current, about the strom and what effect it may have on the place all of us know and love! Thanks for the info.

As someone who also has been through a hurricane or two, it is no fun and can be scary.

Pixie Dust to all who are at WDW now, keep safe. I'm sure Disney will take good care of you!!

 

[RobDoc]

We are at WDW right now. Arrived at 1:15am this morning.

Parks did close at 1pm today and traffic in the parks was very light. We've had 2 intense storm feeder bands pass thru thus far and the center of the storm is expected to pass just to the east (a few miles) of WDW in about 3 hours. Winds have started to slow a bit, but over 300,000 are already without power.

No PS were allowed today and guests are expected to stay at their resorts fro the duration. Extra dining arrangements have been made at the resorts. Extra CM have been brought in to staff the resorts and are being provided rooms for the night.

Hopefully tomorrow will be back to normal- providing enough CMs can get in to staff the parks.

We were here for Floyd a few years ago and have been equally impressed with the level of preparation seen at WDW for both of these weather events. Floyd basically missed WDW, but this one is different.

I'll try to report later tonight after the storm passes.

Stay tuned!

 

[Ksp]

Amtrak just called to cancel the auto train we were to take down to FL tomorrow...I'm glued to the weather channel just watching the hurricane moving along. Hope everyone is ok; even tho' I'm just watching t.v. footage it looks REALLY nasty. Hope everyone stays safe, finds safe place and keeps their heads down.

 

[offtheice]

Originally posted by madcoco
I know you're joking but not really a good time to be making light of a serious situation don't you think. Many of us have love ones and property in the area.


Bulletin issued:
A HURRICANE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST FROM COCOA BEACH NORTHWARD TO FLAGLER BEACH.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM JUPITER INLET TO COCOA BEACH.

THE TRACK OF HURRICANE CHARLEY HAS CONTINUED SHIFTING MORE TO THE
RIGHT TODAY AND STRENGTHENING, GREATLY INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF
SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS OVER EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA.

THIS TYPE OF HURRICANE SCENARIO HAS NOT OCCURRED SINCE HURRICANE DONNA IN 1960. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO SPREAD INTO OSCEOLA AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES EARLY THIS EVENING AND THEN SPREAD ACROSS THE ORLANDO METRO AREA AND THE REST OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA
DURING THE NIGHT. WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES CAN BE EXPECTED
LATER THIS EVENING.

Oh give it a break. My god...

 

[kaw1106]

Thanks Doc


Take care!!!

 

[timC]

Stay safe Doc....

Are you at OKW? What preparation, if any, have they made at the resort? For example, have they boarded any windows?

 

[jkevinmcg]

Doc

We await your next report. Stay safe

 

[PamOKW]

Doc, you didn't have to head down there just so you could give us a report.

Stay safe tonight and I'll be interested to hear how it all works out.

 

[Regina]

Scary stuff, that's for sure.

I hope that all of our DVC friends stay safe. We'll be thinking of you.

 

[RobDoc]

This is just a quick 3 nite trip. We're slumming at the GF this time. (We had reserved a standard room and got a comp upgrade to a 1BR concierge 5th floor tower suite in the main building!!) From our room we can see the Poly, Cont, Wedding Pav, SE, ToT, Dolphin, WL and the Castle, Space Mtn, Main Street train station and Splash Mountain.

All pools have been closed, deck furniture has been stacked and tied down. Theme parks have strapped down (or removed) anything that can move in any way (all hanging lamps and signs have been lashed down- all food carts too large to be moved and stored have been strapped down using bolts fixed in the concrete. CM's have been most cheerful and helpful. No boarding of windows at the resorts. When we were at OKW in 1999 when Floyd went thru, they provided all rooms with flashlights and gave instructions about filling the tub with water, bringing in patio furniture and staying away from windows. (Floyd fizzled and brought few problems to WDW, but the surrounding areas were certainly affected.) Thus far, Charley has already brought more rain and wind than Floyd and we still await the worst.

All WDW transportation ceased around 3pm today.

We are right now getting another strong storm with heavy gusts. Trees are bowing heavily in the wind with significant rain coming down. They just reported on the news that there are 11,000 without power already in central FL and we still have about 45 minutes until the remnants of the eye pass thru. Looks like it will pass about 10 miles to the east of WDW.

Heavy flooding is predicted with up to 8" of rain expected. Winds in this area are expected to be in the 60-70 mph range. The eye still seems to be intact at this time, with strong circulation. Winds are still in the TS range. Local residents are stocking up on sand bags to try to stem fresh water flooding- still a big concern.

It appears that most of the damage won't be realized until after daylight tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

 

[newholiday]

thanks for the update

 

[kathleena]

As a participant in Business Continuity Planning at my company (that's 21st century-speak for Disaster Recovery) I just knew in my heart that Disney had long prepared disaster plans and they not only get practised and taught from time to time, but they also get put into action quickly when the time comes.

Stay safe everyone at WDW - we are thinking of you!

Thanks for the report Doc.

 

[RuthnPaul]

Originally posted by WebmasterDoc
We were here for Floyd a few years ago and have been equally impressed with the level of preparation seen at WDW for both of these weather events. Floyd basically missed WDW, but this one is different.

Doc, thanks for the "on-site" report. We, too, were at WDW during Floyd, staying at Wilderness Lodge. I remember standing in line for supper for hours, people snaking all through the lobby. Floyd ended up being no where near Orlando but, sitting here looking at the news, it's obvious that Orlando is right in the path. As is typical Disney, they have disaster preparedness down to a science.

We're all thinking about our "homes away from home"! Keep us posted!!

 

[nisiemouse]

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what is going on at WDW. Stay safe Doc.

 

[RobDoc]

The storm is now passing thru, the winds are incredible and the sound is deafening. The lights have been flickering and the rain is beating against the windows and the trees are bent over in the wind.

The building has been shaking at times and the curtains are moving from the building sway.

The castle is not illuminated tonight and right now we can't see the Poly or CR at this moment.

Winds apparently are sustained at about 70 mph with gusts to 90 (and it feels even stronger). Rain is coming down at over 3" per hour- but is heavier right now.

All TV channels have dedicated broadcasts to Charley- so we can't even watch the Olympic opening ceremonies. Same thing happened with Floyd- all network programs were pre-empted for hurricane reports. Disney is continuously brodcasting Nemo, Monsters,Inc and Brother Bear on the room cable- so there is something to watch besides storm coverage. The lobby has been filled with guests playing games, characters (Chip n' Dale) have been on hand and some of the "streetmosphere people" have been doing improv skits. There are lots of security CM around to assist in the event of a power outage (or worse).

Hopefully, I can give another report in another hour when this should have passed thru.

Stay tuned!

 

[tinkdancer]

HI, Dancind here, on my DD's laptop so using her ID. I know I could switch, but not sure I remember my password!

We are at BCV, in a 3rd floor studio facing the pool. Kind of in a corner, seems pretty sheltered here so far. The lights have blinked a few times, and the TV has been in and out. Disney has not given us any instructions, but I talked to a maid (!) earlier today, and she told me that there will be emergency personnel on every floor of the resort. So if things get bad, there will probably be a knock at the door. We are prepared to move into the vanity area, anyway. BCV opened Cape May at 3 today to accomodate everyone wanting to eat, and there were sandwiches for the taking in the BCV lobby earlier today. Of course, they were taken quickly, hope most people got one! They just said max wind speeds 100 mph.

I'll try to check back. We couldn't see much from our window, and less now that it's dark. Doc has the view!

Diana

 

[BCVOwner2002]

Stay safe Doc & Dancind!! Glad to hear Disney is living up to its reputation of good customer service! Annmarie

 

[Divamomto3]

Doc and Diane, thanks for the updates!

I'm coming down on Sunday. I know DW will be in the clear by then, but I hope the remnants of Charley don't mess up the flight schedules up here in CT too much.

Stay safe and sound Floridians....I hope the storm passes quickly.

 

[disney4me4ever]

Doc~
Thanks for thinking to post updates for those of us worried about our "home away from home". Please stay safe.....

Nancy