Riding Out Hurricane Milton at Disney World

On Wednesday evening, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm, leaving more than 3 million customers without power and bringing floodwaters and high winds to many communities just two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the state. As Milton intensified at the start of the week, Annette Devlin and her daughter decided they’d shelter at the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Hotel. They were one of many families that checked in at the hotels around Walt Disney World Resort’s theme parks to ride out the storm, a choice that caused some confusion and vitriol online from people who felt that residents should evacuate and go elsewhere (that Disney parks did not close until Wednesday afternoon, forcing workers to show up to their shifts rather than having time off to prepare, also drew criticism).

But for Devlin, a 59-year-old nurse, sheltering at the hotel was the best option, as her 28-year-old daughter Kayla has multiple sclerosis and other medical conditions. The mother-daughter duo are Disney fans and annual passholders who split time between their residences in nearbyWinter Garden, Florida, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This week was the second time they were caught in a hurricane in Florida, and I spoke with Devlin on Thursday to learn more about their experience riding out the storm at the Happiest Place on Earth.

What did you think when you learned about Hurricane Milton? What were some of your concerns?

I’ve never been in a hurricane of this magnitude. We’ve dealt with major blizzards up in the Philadelphia area, but it was really scary to hear all the details about this. We honestly didn’t know what to expect. With my daughter being physically handicapped, my biggest concern was flooding or anything that would prevent us from getting medical help.

How quickly did you make the decision to seek shelter at a Disney hotel? 

It didn’t take long. For a brief moment we did think about driving back to Pennsylvania, or maybe up to South Carolina. But I just felt more secure being here. The last time we were in Florida during a hurricane was in 2019 for Dorian. We sheltered at Animal Kingdom Lodge for that one. It was very safe and secure there. They made sure that everyone had meals and everything was taken care of. Knowing that we were here when this was gonna happen, it was really a no-brainer for us. We’d have access to air conditioning and power, which is important for her medications. The primary concern was having access to shelter and medical intervention if it was needed. Here, they have their Reedy Creek Fire Department and medical personnel available. If you need an ambulance, they can quickly transport you to a local hospital.

What happened when you got to the hotel? 

They had a lot of the workers out front reassuring everyone. They were doing as much as they could to make everyone feel comfortable there, helping people with any extra things they needed.

Did you have any concerns about whether the hotel would be the safest place for your family?

Honestly, I felt so relieved when I pulled up. Because of Disney’s power grid, we didn’t have to worry about losing power. The staff also went above and beyond for safety measures and making sure they had plenty of amenities available, including food.

You posted about your decision on TikTok. What was the reaction to your post?

The majority of the responses were from people saying “I hope you’re safe” and giving prayers and well wishes. It was really nice to see people reaching out. I did see some comments from people who did not understand, asking, “Aren’t you supposed to evacuate? Why would you go to Disney?” If you don’t know the area — and maybe they haven’t experienced being here before — they don’t know what’s available. Obviously, we were not going there to do anything recreational. It was purely for safety and security, for me to put Kayla’s needs first. If there were any kind of an emergency, I had resources available, and we’re not gonna be in a position where something could go wrong.

Can you walk me through what happened after Milton made landfall and crossed the state? How was the experience of riding out the hurricane at the hotel?

Starting around 10:30 p.m., it really started to pick up and we got the first emergency alert on our phones. We were in a fifth-floor room with a balcony. Because of the high winds and the rain, water was starting to come in through the balcony doors into our room at around 11 p.m. We actually had to be relocated to another room at that point, because staff were afraid our room and some of the other rooms on that side of the building were gonna flood just because of the way the wind was coming in. I was pretty much up all night; I probably slept like an hour or two. It was really, really loud, and unlike anything I’ve been through before. I think the winds were at one point almost 90 miles an hour. It was scary.

What has the situation been like this morning? Was there any substantial damage to the hotel or your home?

It was so quiet here this morning compared to last night, when all the emergency alarms were going off, there were people in the hallways, you had the newscasters — it was a lot. When I opened up the drapes to look outside, there was not a person in sight. It was very calm looking, just a mild wind this morning. The hurricane came through a lot faster than what they thought. We could see from our room that there were some trees down. There was a lot of debris all over the parking lot. We saw that one of the lampposts was ripped out of the ground and broken in half. There was also some glass here and there. But the hotel workers were trying to clean things up as quickly as they could. We saw a lot of the same hotel workers this morning that were here last night; they were there all night long, and it was hard for those workers, too. We’ve been in touch with some people where our house is, and everything is okay. We do have power. I had the room booked until Saturday just in case, but we are able to go home today.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.