TOURISTS were left stranded at Disney World just hours before Hurricane Milton hit as trapped Britons said they were “worried”.
The deadly storm is set to batter Florida and bring with it 160 mph winds, 15-foot storm surges — already forcing millions to evacuate.
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Guests experience early bands of rain from Hurricane Milton at the Magic KingdomCredit: AP
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People flock to Walt Disney World as Hurricane Milton approachesCredit: Reuters
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Milton is expected to hit Florida in just a few hoursCredit: Reuters
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Walt Disney World is in Orlando, FloridaCredit: Reuters
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Daily view of Hurricane Milton Credit: Rex
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Hurricane Milton’s skull appears in gruesome images Credit: NOAA
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Highways were gridlocked as millions of Floridians evacuated their homesCredit: Epa
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People are intrepidly captured arriving at Walt Disney World as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida.
Among those staying at the Orlando park are Brits Terence and Cian, who are staying at Disney’s Pop Century resort as Florida braces for the deadly hurricane.
A couple from Basingstoke, England, told Sky News that they had been warned that all Disney Parks and Disney Springs would close from 2pm local time and were likely to remain closed for the whole of Thursday.
Terence said he heard other guests trying to arrange early flights home – but now the local airport is closed.
He added that he and his husband were forced to cancel dinner plans at another resort because no transportation was available.
Terence said: “It’s early but it’s quiet.
“It’s raining a lot today, but right now it seems pretty normal for Orlando.
“It’s hard to know for the rest of the week until the storm hits and the damage becomes clearer.”
But he says Disney staff assured the couple it was “one of the safest places to ride out the storm.”
Terence added: “One cast member told us that when the power goes out in Florida, the first place he goes back online is hospitals, and the second place is Disney.
Watch the moment sick passengers are airlifted from a stranded cruise ship off the coast of Florida as Hurricane Milton rages on
“The news here is really talking about the storm as a life-and-death event, so it’s a bit worrying, but we’re positive and making the most of it.”
Florida still has a few hours left before the fatal impact of Hurricane Milton.
The “skull” shape of the storm was captured on satellite imagery, and locals who refuse to flee are warned to write their names on their hands.
Terrifying, gruesome footage shows the Category 4 hurricane barreling towards the Florida coast – ready to destroy everything in its path as millions of people evacuate for a chance at life.
The National Hurricane Center has now warned X that as the hurricane looms, “the time to prepare, including evacuation” is “quickly coming to an end.”
Those who refuse to flee Milton are also told to have their names written in permanent ink on their arm.
Florida’s attorney general desperately suggested that if the residents stayed, writing their names on their hands would make it easier to later identify the bodies.
Ashley Moody made the scathing comment at a press conference with Republican Sen. Rick Scott on Monday while addressing residents who are opposing the evacuation orders.
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Residents install plywood over their homes
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Members of the Florida Army National Guard are checking for any remaining residents
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She warned any Floridians who don’t need to evacuate “will probably have to write their name in permanent marker on their arm so people know who you are when they come to you later.”
Speaking about last week’s devastation from Hurricane Helena, Moody also added that officials were still “finding people on the beach who thought they could stay there, and the storm surge caught them.”
As the hurricane approaches land, the intensity of the storm will increase, increasing the risk of tornadoes forming ahead of the main storm.
The Florida National Guard is also said to be preparing the largest search and rescue mobilization in history.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said 9,000 Guardsmen were deployed, one-third of them from out of state, with 26 search and rescue teams.
He added, “This is the largest mobilization of the Florida National Guard for search and rescue in the history of the state of Florida.
“They are currently deployed at potential impact sites along the West Coast to begin emergency rescue operations as soon as the storm passes.”
In Milton’s Deadly Chaos, storm chasers are trapped being buffeted by extreme turbulence while flying into the center of a hurricane.
Terrifying footage shows scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) being tossed around the flight.
Florida evacuates ahead of Hurricane Milton, worst 155km/h storm in 100 years, officials warn ‘you’re going to die’
The spacecraft, dubbed “Miss Piggy,” was collecting data on a hurricane heading toward Tampa on Tuesday morning when the footage was taken.
Hurricane Milton has spawned two large tornadoes in Florida just hours before the 155 km/h storm is set to make landfall.
Locals have been told their home is a “coffin” as the Category 4 hurricane will bring 15-foot waves that could completely submerge homes in parts of the state.
Two large tornadoes were filmed crossing Interstate 75 in the Florida Everglades around 10 a.m. local time – and were seen moving north between the towns of Miles City and Andytown.
Milton is bearing down on the state with 155 mph winds as the “storm of the century” prepares to hit Florida.
The hurricane is now a Category 4 after weakening very slightly from sustained winds of 160 mph overnight.
It is expected to remain a Category 4 storm as it makes landfall south of Tampa at 2 a.m. Thursday.
More than three million people are now at risk of severe thunderstorms, with tornadoes also possible, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) warns.
The National Weather Service has also issued a tornado warning for Florida south of Tampa to the Florida Keys.
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Image of one of two tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton that crossed Interstate 75 in the Florida EvergladesCredit: Twitter
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Traffic cameras caught the gridlock as people tried to flee coastal areas in FloridaCredit: FDOT
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An AquaFence flood wall has been installed around Tampa General HospitalCredit: AFP
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Milton can be seen from the International Space StationCredit: Rex
He says tornadoes are “likely,” hail up to half an inch is possible, and gusts of 70 mph are likely tonight until 9 p.m.
That could expose 12 million in major cities like Miami to extreme conditions.
His mental conditions will only get worse after that.
Milton is expected to hit south of Tampa, prompting city officials to erect flood barriers.
The fence successfully protected the facility from the floodwaters of Hurricane Helena about two weeks ago.
Tampa General Hospital, located on the edge of Tampa Bay, is scheduled to remain open and is erecting an AquaFence to try to withstand the surge.
The hospital has an on-site power plant, a five-day supply of food and staff trained in emergency management to weather the storm.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned the city’s nearly 400,000 residents to evacuate immediately.
Underwood went to X and posted about the flight after the footage was released by NOAA.
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She told CNN: “I can say this without any dramatization: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you will die.”
She said the 15-foot storm surge predicted for the city would be deep enough to swallow the house.
Castor said, “So if you’re in it, it’s actually a coffin you’re in.”
The hurricane brought the state’s tourism industry to its knees as cruise ships were unable to dock, evacuations were ordered and flights were canceled.
Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando are also closing in preparation for the storm.
There are fears that Milton will be West Florida’s version of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Katrina killed 1,400 people and caused $125 billion in damage to the US economy.
Milton is expected to be a Category 4 low when it makes landfall – putting its winds at the bottom of the 130-156mph range.
US President Joe Biden said those who remain in their homes face “a matter of life and death”.
He said, “This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, and God willing, it won’t be, but that’s the way it looks right now.”
Traffic links out of Central Florida are chaotic or completely blocked as people try to flee to safety.
Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, said they have already seen flooding in the city.
He told CNN: “This is the 11th hour. If you are in an evacuation zone, now is the time to get out.”
International airport of St. Pete-Clearwater turns into a mandatory evacuation zone after the last flight takes off today.
Orlando Airport has suspended all operations as of 8 a.m. today.
More than 4,600 inmates are also being transferred because of Milton, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Thousands of terrified residents tried to flee toward Miami as highways remained at a standstill.
Tampa’s main airport closed at 9 a.m. Tuesday, and officials said it will remain empty until weather conditions improve.
Florida is already flooded after Hurricane Helene hit two weeks ago, meaning no more rain will drain into the ground.
The sharks were swimming through the streets of the bay city of Punta Gorda just two weeks ago when Hurricane Helene hit them.
Officials said they were still discovering bodies on the beach they could not identify after they believed they would be able to ride out the storm.
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What is a hurricane and how does it form?
A HURRICANE is another name for a tropical cyclone – a powerful storm that forms over warm ocean waters near the equator.
Those that form in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific are called hurricanes, while those in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean are called typhoons or cyclones.
North of the equator they spin counterclockwise due to the Earth’s rotation, however, in the southern hemisphere they spin in the opposite direction.
Cyclones are like huge weather engines powered by water vapor evaporating from the sea.
Warm, moist air rises from the surface, creating a low pressure system that sucks in air from surrounding areas – which in turn warms the ocean.
As the vapor rises, it cools and condenses into swirling bands of cumulonimbus storm clouds.
The system grows and spins faster, sucking in more air and feeding on the energy of seawater heated by the sun.
A calm “eye” of the storm forms in the center where cooled air sinks toward the ultra-low pressure zone below, surrounded by spiral winds of rising warm air.
The faster the wind, the lower the air pressure in the center, and the storm gets stronger and stronger.
Tropical cyclones usually weaken when they make landfall because they are no longer fed by evaporation from warm seas.
But they often move far inland – dumping huge amounts of rain and causing devastating wind damage – before the “fuel” runs out and the storm ends.
Hurricanes can also cause storm surges when low air pressure raises sea levels higher than normal, flooding low-lying coasts.
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Source: HIS Education