What happens in the venet of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane at the resorts?..

[funshipm174]

Not to rain on anyones parade, but we are planning our trip for SEPT 2010 (Hurricane season).

My question is what is the procedure for WDW if a category 4 or 5 hurricane is clearly going to hit Orlando area.Are the buildings strong enough to endure the hurricane 4 or 5, or do they evacute the property?

Not sure being this is our first "hurricane season" visit to WDW.

Hope I don't sound too silly or crazy, but I wanted to ask.

 

[Baltazar]

The buildings are designed for winds of 150 mile an hour.

IMO it is just silly to worry about such things.

[edit] I seriously doubt any hurricane could reach Disney at full strength, it's too far inland.

 

[Feralpeg]

By the time a hurricane makes it this far inland, they lose some strength. That being said, if a Cat 5 storm were to hit in the vicinity of New Smyrna on the east or Tampa on the west and head toward Orlando, I would evacuate. Even this far inland, a Cat 5 storm would still be packing very strong winds...Cat 3 strength. Now, stop to imagine being in an F1 or F2 tornado for hours. That is sort of like being in a Cat 3 hurricane. Of course, we would not get the storm surge in Orlando. The storm surge is what causes a lot of the damage in a hurricane.

I would feel safe riding out a Cat 3 hurricane as it comes into the coast. Above that, it gets questionable. I was here for Charley, Frances and Jeanne. I had minor damage to my home. Frances and Jeanne had lost a great deal of their punch before they hit the Orlando area. Charley was strong, but very fast moving.

I don't worry about it. If and when the time comes, I will make my decision as to if I will stay in the area. If I were a tourist, I really wouldn't worry about it. The great thing about hurricanes is that you get a lot of advanced warning. You have plenty of time to get out of the way.

 

[funshipm174]

By the time a hurricane makes it this far inland, they lose some strength. That being said, if a Cat 5 storm were to hit in the vicinity of New Smyrna on the east or Tampa on the west and head toward Orlando, I would evacuate. Even this far inland, a Cat 5 storm would still be packing very strong winds...Cat 3 strength. Now, stop to imagine being in an F1 or F2 tornado for hours. That is sort of like being in a Cat 3 hurricane. Of course, we would not get the storm surge in Orlando. The storm surge is what causes a lot of the damage in a hurricane.

I would feel safe riding out a Cat 3 hurricane as it comes into the coast. Above that, it gets questionable. I was here for Charley, Frances and Jeanne. I had minor damage to my home. Frances and Jeanne had lost a great deal of their punch before they hit the Orlando area. Charley was strong, but very fast moving.

I don't worry about it. If and when the time comes, I will make my decision as to if I will stay in the area. If I were a tourist, I really wouldn't worry about it. The great thing about hurricanes is that you get a lot of advanced warning. You have plenty of time to get out of the way.

Thanks!

 

[Sammy]

DH and I were at the Beach Club Villas to celebrate our wedding anniversary when Hurricane Jeanne roared through. We were in total lockdown in our rooms for about 18 hours. They kept us informed with regular updates via the room phones about every 4-6 hours.

Because the Villas are in a separate building from the Beach Club proper, we were not allowed to walk over and participate in any of the extra activities they had going on over there such as characters in the lobby, etc. They were very concerned about keeping everyone safe. They ended up sending over food carts loaded with bag lunches and dinners.

Because we were only there for a 4-day trip, it was kind of a bummer to miss out on almost 2 days. You know you've been married too long when the prospect of 18 hours in a hotel room with your spouse is NOT good news!!!

 

[Baltazar]

You know you've been married too long when the prospect of 18 hours in a hotel room with your spouse is NOT good news!!!

Oh Gawd!

I'd rather run through the hurricane and brave flying patio furniture than suffer my kids. I think both of us would be sleeping in the lobby.

 

[Sammie]

Disney would be the one to decide whether it is safe to remain or not, believe me if they felt their guests were in harm's way they would get you out of there.

We were there for Charley and never felt unsafe.

 

[funshipm174]

You know you've been married too long when the prospect of 18 hours in a hotel room with your spouse is NOT good news!!!

We are only on year 10 and I still wouldn't mind getting locked in a bedroom for a long weekend with her!

I hope it doesn't go downhill from here!

 

[DisCopper]

The buildings are designed for winds of 150 mile an hour.

IMO it is just silly to worry about such things.

[edit] I seriously doubt any hurricane could reach Disney at full strength, it's too far inland.

Well, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew crossed southern Florida (it actually made landfall in Homestead, FL which is down by Miami). It made landfall with winds of 150mph. When it hit the Gulf on the other side of Florida, winds were down to only 135mph.

Andrew caused enormous destruction to southern Florida.

Yes, Disney is much further north, but the potential for something similar is always there.

So, can a Cat. 5 hurricane reach Disney at full strength? Sure.

Should you worry about such things? Absolutely not. Buy travel insurance if you're really concerned.

 

[ParrotBill]

Note that Andrew had tremendous fuel in warm water given its location over the far southern part of Florida.

In mid-Florida, every hurricane that has come ashore has lost a category immediately on landfall since half the storm has no fuel at that point, and then it loses another category within 10 miles inland and is usually down to a depression with 50 miles.

It is tremendously unlikely to get more than cat 1 winds in Orlando, and Disney is recognized for both excellent constructions quality and for excellent response protocol in advance of such events. For example, many people get sent home to rest and take care of their homes so they can return to handle WDW and guests' needs through the storm.

 

[Feralpeg]

Note that Andrew had tremendous fuel in warm water given its location over the far southern part of Florida.

In mid-Florida, every hurricane that has come ashore has lost a category immediately on landfall since half the storm has no fuel at that point, and then it loses another category within 10 miles inland and is usually down to a depression with 50 miles.

It is tremendously unlikely to get more than cat 1 winds in Orlando, and Disney is recognized for both excellent constructions quality and for excellent response protocol in advance of such events. For example, many people get sent home to rest and take care of their homes so they can return to handle WDW and guests' needs through the storm.

A Cat 1 hurricane has winds of 74 to 97 mph. Charley had winds of 90 mph when it hit the Orlando area. If a Cat 5 hurricane were to make landfall in someplace as close as Tampa, it would not have a chance to loose enough strength to be a tropical storm by the time it got to Orlando unless it moved extremely slow. Again, no need to fret about what may never happen, but it is possible to have strong hurricane winds reach the greater Orlando area.

http://www.spikowski.com/HurricaneCharleyTrack.pdf

 

[suzy021372]

We were in Orlando for Charley, though not at Disney. Universal closed down at 2pm the day the storm hit. By that time we were DONE touring...NO LINES!! We watched the storm from our hotel room, and never even lost power. The next day, after the storm, we went to Sea World. They opened about 3 hours late. Besides a few uprooted trees, you could hardly tell. There were no crowds for the entire week we were there...and that was the first week in August!

 

[disney777]

I was on lockdown for Frances. They gave us warning and stocked up the food court with non perishable items and styrofoam icechests (I was at Pop). I knew the storm was coming, so I really made the most out of the days before the storm. I was pretty tired by the time they hit and really needed the forced rest. But I was lucky because I had books to read, and a hot pot to make hot tea and soup. Power never went out, so I could keep up with the weather when I wasn't watching an actual show. I was imagining what it was like for those couples who were locked in their rooms with 3 kids! Disney was well organized.

 

[fla4fun]

Are the buildings strong enough to endure the hurricane 4 or 5, or do they evacute the property?

The only part of WDW to my knowledge that is evacuated if a hurricane is heading right for us is Fort Wilderness. They typically relocate those guests to vacant rooms in the other on property resorts (most people have reported being moved to POR). The cabins at FW are basically trailers, which are not really safe in a hurricane, and of course, people in RV's and tents aren't any safer. Plus they wouldn't want to risk injuries from falling trees - and plenty of trees come down in a hurricane.

I have ridden out a hurricane at WL and one at CR, and I never felt unsafe. There were a few inconveniences - such as reduced staff at restaurants and housekeeping (some CM's just couldn't make it to work after the storm, so we understood) and the parks opening back up at different times/days, but it didn't ruin the trip. Actually, the weather right before and after a hurricane is typically really beautiful - perfect theme park weather.

 

[Sammie]

We were in Orlando for Charley, though not at Disney. Universal closed down at 2pm the day the storm hit. By that time we were DONE touring...NO LINES!! We watched the storm from our hotel room, and never even lost power. The next day, after the storm, we went to Sea World. They opened about 3 hours late. Besides a few uprooted trees, you could hardly tell. There were no crowds for the entire week we were there...and that was the first week in August!

Actually it was the middle of August, August 13 to be exact, and while the damage you experienced might have been minimal, that was not the case for many, who lost thier homes, and power for over a week. The Disney property due to it's building codes sustained minor damage, that was not the case of many hotels in the Lake Buena Vista area including some on Hotel Blvd, which recieved major damage. The airport was also closed due to damage.

It is rare a storm of this strength comes inland but it can happen.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-charley-storms-5-year-anniv-080909,0,2515820.story

 

[twinklebug]

Actually it was the middle of August, August 13 to be exact, and while the damage you experienced might have been minimal, that was not the case for many, who lost thier homes, and power for over a week. The Disney property due to it's building codes sustained minor damage, that was not the case of many hotels in the Lake Buena Vista area including some on Hotel Blvd, which recieved major damage. The airport was also closed due to damage.

It is rare a storm of this strength comes inland but it can happen.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-charley-storms-5-year-anniv-080909,0,2515820.story

We were at Ft. Wilderness for Charlie and were evacuated over to POR. Some staff members brought their families into stay at POR as the Disney buildings are built better than many homes in the area. Quite a number had severe damage to their homes . All parks were closed for at least the one day of the storm.

Those of us lucky enough to be in the resorts experienced minimal damage to life or property. Many guests treated the storm as cause for a party... until they returned to the parking lot to find their rental car damaged by falling limbs. MK opened the next morning. AK was closed for a day longer & the animals were spooked off from the viewing areas. Epcot had noticible damage to landscaping they quickly repaired. Ft Wilderness did not repoen while we were down there (most roads were blocked according to the staff who were nice enough to trek back on foot into our cabin to retrieve some meds we had left behind.)

On the way back to the airport we saw the true damage the storm had wrought... I doubt a single store sign survived intact, many screen rooms were damaged as were roofs. Those were jsut the things we could see from the highway. The glass and interior ceiling of the Airport terminal was shredded near their trains.

Disney did a fantastic job of keeping everyone out of harms way. Note all Disney's power lines are all underground so they were able to retain power throughout the event although many in the surrounding communities were without for a very long time after. I wouldn't worry about staying with them during a storm if another were to happen.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

By the time a hurricane makes it this far inland, they lose some strength.

. . . not always
. . . sometimes as strong
. . . it is flat land from the sea to WDW

The buildings are designed for winds of 150 mile an hour.

. . . yep, that is what they say

I seriously doubt any hurricane could reach Disney at full strength, it's too far inland.

. . . wanna bet?
. . . it could still hit VERY hard
. . . for a hurricane, it is not that far
. . . we were in Charlotte for Hugo, and Charlotte is 3-hrs inland

My question is what is the procedure for WDW if a category 4 or 5 hurricane is clearly going to hit Orlando area.Are the buildings strong enough to endure the hurricane 4 or 5, or do they evacute the property?

. . . parks would be closed (like the 2-days for Frances in 2004)
. . . on-site guests must remain in their rooms (not enough room in lobbies)
. . . food will be tight, as the gift shops run our quickly
. . . most resort restaurants will be closed due to manpower shortages
. . . Fort Wilderness is abandoned and guests either relocated or thrown out
. . . some CM's will stay around and ride-out the storm

 

[funshipm174]

. . . not always
. . . sometimes as strong
. . . it is flat land from the sea to WDW


. . . yep, that is what they say


. . . wanna bet?
. . . it could still hit VERY hard
. . . for a hurricane, it is not that far
. . . we were in Charlotte for Hugo, and Charlotte is 3-hrs inland


. . . parks would be closed (like the 2-days for Frances in 2004)
. . . on-site guests must remain in their rooms (not enough room in lobbies)
. . . food will be tight, as the gift shops run our quickly
. . . most resort restaurants will be closed due to manpower shortages
. . . Fort Wilderness is abandoned and guests either relocated or thrown out
. . . some CM's will stay around and ride-out the storm

Thank you. Being the former Boyscout, I still like to "be prepared"! It never hurts to know what a sitution may be like. As I always say...


"Never say never"!

 

[ParrotBill]

This page shows a lust of hurricanes passing across Orlando from the beginning of records to 2001. Based in this, I don’t plan any differently for hurricane season in Orlando than I do any other time of year. During my lifetime, 5 storms of Cat 1 to Cat 3 passed over or near Orlando… one per 10 years (adding in Charley to this list.)
http://www.cfhf.net/orlando/hurricane.htm


About that picture of Charley’s hurricane force winds… although both pictures are based on NOAA data, this one shows a much less drastic width of hurricane force winds from Charley passing through Orlando and you can see how the categories are dropping off as it moves inland.
http://www.orlandohurricane.net/History/History.html

As pointed out, the real impact to guests at WDW was about cars (rental car damage can surely be a hassle) and from my recollections of live posts about travel delays (as many upset about delayed arrival as delayed departure!)

 

[Feralpeg]

This page shows a lust of hurricanes passing across Orlando from the beginning of records to 2001. Based in this, I don’t plan any differently for hurricane season in Orlando than I do any other time of year. During my lifetime, 5 storms of Cat 1 to Cat 3 passed over or near Orlando… one per 10 years (adding in Charley to this list.)
http://www.cfhf.net/orlando/hurricane.htm


About that picture of Charley’s hurricane force winds… although both pictures are based on NOAA data, this one shows a much less drastic width of hurricane force winds from Charley passing through Orlando and you can see how the categories are dropping off as it moves inland.
http://www.orlandohurricane.net/History/History.html

As pointed out, the real impact to guests at WDW was about cars (rental car damage can surely be a hassle) and from my recollections of live posts about travel delays (as many upset about delayed arrival as delayed departure!)

The day after Charley, I drove to DTD from my home. I had to drive around huge trees down across CR535. On Disney property, I saw many downed trees. Fortunately, a lot of the trees in the area are pines. They tend to bend instead of break. Even to this day, you will see many pine trees, on Disney property, that bent due to the hurricanes that have never stood back up.

The thing to remember about a hurricane is that the winds can last for many hours. Charley was the exception. It moved through very quickly. A strong storm with winds lasting for a long time could do a great deal of damage.

You are right in that the number of storms to hit the Orlando area has been very few. 2004 was a fluke in the grand scheme of things. Prior to 2004, the central Florida area had not had a hurricane hit in many, many years. I hope that we are back on that track. As a tourist, I don't think people should be that concerned about storms. The chances of experiencing one at WDW is slim. As a homeowner, the storms that came through were enough to really mess up insurance coverage for homes in this area. To me, that was the worst damage. I love living in Florida and would never consider moving due to the possibility of a major hurricane. However, I don't take them for granted. I keep my eye to the sky and I will take whatever precautions necessary if the worst should occur to stay safe.