Tropical Storms Bonnie and Charley

[aprilisis]

Originally posted by NYdaily:
don't they normally take down the castle in situations like this -- or is that an urban legend?

I believe that is an uban legend...but I am not positive. I don't think the castle can be disassembled.

[MauiMouse]

Good Luck Ron! Thanks for the information. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[imported_JohnY]

Originally posted by aprilisis:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by NYdaily:
don't they normally take down the castle in situations like this -- or is that an urban legend?

I believe that is an uban legend...but I am not positive. I don't think the castle can be disassembled. </font>[/QUOTE]Urban legend had it that the spires of the castle were made to be removed in a hurricane.

This is not true...

It's funny, I was just reading this thread to see how long we went before someone brought this up

[FROG0823]

Oh dear...

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
205 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
ORANGE COUNTY
IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA

* UNTIL 250 PM EDT

* AT 205 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES
PERSISTENT ROTATION IN A SQUALL LINE EXTENDING FROM THE THEME PARKS
TO SAINT CLOUD MOVING NORTH AT 45 MPH.

* THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE...
NEAR LAKE BUENA VISTA...PLEASURE ISLAND...EPCOT...BUENA VENTURA
LAKES AT 215 PM EDT
NEAR SEA WORLD...MAGIC KINGDOM AT 220 PM EDT
NEAR TANGELO PARK...WET N WILD WATER PARK...ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...LAKE MARY JANE AT 225 PM EDT

THE IMMEDIATE DANGER OF ISOLATED TORNADOES IS HIGH. PEOPLE IN THE
PATH ARE URGED TO QUICKLY PREPARE FOR ITS APPROACH. THIS IS A
DANGEROUS SITUATION!

[NYdaily]

Originally posted by JohnY:
This is not true...

thanks for the skinny John -- i thought not -- but i used to hear that all the time. "back for hurricane andrew, they took the castle apart, etc...."

[imported_PolyGirl40]

Here's the latest update from Disney:

All Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks and entertainment venues are now closed. All resort hotels will remain open and staffed to meet the immediate needs of our Guests.

As weather conditions continue to develop throughout the evening, safety and security teams will also be available to assist Guests and Cast Members.

We have more than five hundred engineering Cast Members positioned to survey the property once inclement weather has passed. We will review their findings and make operational adjustments if necessary early Saturday morning.

Currently, we anticipate opening our parks on Saturday at the regularly scheduled time of 9 a.m. Cast Members should report to work as scheduled if it is safe to do so.

Guests who have questions should call (407) WDW-INFO or (407) 939-4636.

[imported_Melanears]

Oh Ron.... Wishing you all the best of luck. A Cat. 4 is just plain scary!!!! Take care please, and check in when you can.

[VickiP]

Hold on everyone!! My prayers are with you!

[Mr. Brass Bonanza]

Good Lord, this seems to be getting worse by the minute.

I know Spaceship Earth can withstand 200 MPH winds, but what about the castle?

Jeanne, Jim, and all you wonderful CMs and others in the area...PLEASE STAY SAFE!!!

[WDWdriver]

The first line of severe thunderstorms just passed through here at an incredible 45 miles an hour. There are tornado watches and warnings all over the place.

[drmduval]

Prayers and pixie dust on the way from Green Bay, WI. Category 4......that's pretty scarey!! When is it supposed to hit Orlando and WDW?

[SgtTigger]

Originally posted by bradleysnana:
Georgia Power has sent numerous crews to help restore power when and where necessary. I have been working logistics for food and lodging for our lineman and ensuring they have necessary supplies. Pixie dust and prayers to all involved.

Entergy the power company from New Orleans also has lineman on the way they left this morning. They are bringing a lot of supplies with them to fix up the power system. Lets hope there is not much work for them to do.

[TheRustyScupper]

Originally posted by JohnY:
... don't they normally take down the castle in situations like this -- or is that an urban legend ...

1) Yes.
2) No.
3) Depends on your point of view & definition
4) Actually ...
... the 18 towers can be removed
... it requires a crane to pull the towers
... time required is approx 6-8 hours
... there are plans for bad weather removal
... they have yet to be pulled for weather
... most believe they will NEVER be pulled

[Pixie Power]

Stay safe Jim, Lisa, Jeremy, Ron, Jeanne, Clamity Jane and all the other WDW CM's on I-Cot. You truly are what makes Disney so Magical! And steppin' up to the plate to help out at a time like this, makes you even more special to all of us here at I-Cot. I hope WDW doesn't get hit too hard, as living in the Houston area, I know all too well what a Cat. 4 Hurricane can do!:eekeek:

[Edzter86]

More pixie dust headed down to Florida for all caught in Charley's path...

I hear the storm will make landfall in about an hour or so. In the northeast, we'll be seeing the remains of Charley on Sunday...

[Dixie Springs]

DS just evacuated from Homosassa home - not expected. She's way North of the original predicted path. We're also trying to reach friends that left for WDW this morning - I'm sure they're fine as far as their flight, etc., but 1st day at WDW won't be very 'magic'. Anyway, they'll meet alot of folks from Tampa.

[Lawnmower.Tree]

Charley veers toward Orange
Hurricane force gusts, tornadoes now expected here

By Leslie Postal | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted August 13, 2004, 2:40 PM EDT

Just hours before Hurricane Charley prepared to slam into Florida's Gulf Coast , it swelled to a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, and its path veered to take it directly over Orlando.

The hurricane is "rapidly intensifying and moving toward the Florida coast," said Ben Nelson, state meteorologist.

Gov. Jeb Bush again warned coastal residents to take cover, and officials said the storm could bring heavy rain and 100 mph, hurricane-force winds to Lake County and north Orange County.

Hurricane Charley's projected path would take it directly over the city of Orlando, creating the biggest threat the city has seen in decades, emergency officials said.

"There will be power outages, there will be downed trees, there will be flooding in low-lying areas," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said at a 1:30 p.m. news briefing from the city's Emergency Operations Center.

Emergency Management Director Manuel Soto said the city could be buffeted by hurricane-force winds for as much as 12 hours, starting in the late afternoon and lasting into the early-morning hours Saturday.

Orange County may soon open additional emergency shelters. Local officials recommended that those who live in mobile homes or who have special needs seek safe shelter. Other residents should remain in their homes.

Forecasters were evaluating reconnaissance data that seemed to indicate Charley's central pressure was dropping and that the storm was, as expected, intensifying.

"This is a very deadly storm that is approaching our beloved state," Bush said. "If you are in an evacuation area, you need to get to high ground now. There won't be another alert because it will be too late."

Officials expected it to make landfall around Port Charlotte at about 5 p.m. and get a storm surge of up to 20 feet.

"It will be to Orlando by midnight tonight," Ben Nelson, the state meteorologist, said.

Officials said the evacuation of coastal and low-lying areas in Charley's path was going well but that it was impossible to know the precise numbers of people fleeing or choosing to stay behind. The number of people evacuating could surpass the 2 million who fled their homes when Hurricane Floyd struck the Atlantic Coast in 1999, they said.

Late this morning, the hurricane was beginning to make its long-anticipated turn toward the northeast. If so, the storm could come in south of Tampa, putting Central Florida more in its path as it crosses the state.

"We've been forecasting it to turn more to the right. The question is: Is it doing it now and how sharply?'' said Ed Rappaport, assistant director of the National Hurricane Center in west Miami-Dade County.

Rappaport said forecasters do think it is now making that turn. "If so, it will bring the worst impact down the coast a little - maybe to the Sarasota-Fort Myers area,'' he said.

State meteorologist Ben Nelson said that path could bring the storm "closer to Orlando" as it crosses the state and moves north to Jacksonville.

The Orlando area, officials said, is expected to get hurricane gusts, heavy rain, with the possibility of tornadoes and power outages.

"We should experience five to seven inches of rain and hurricane-force winds in Lake County and North Orange," Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said at an 11:15 a.m. news briefing.

Though no local evacuation orders have been issued and none are expected, several emergency shelters were opened Thursday evening and this morning, primarily for West Coast residents who have been evacuated. Local residents with special needs also are welcome, and officials this morning said all of the shelters had plenty of room.

County officials have urged residents to stay off the roads this afternoon and evening, so incoming Gulf Coast residents can make it to safety more quickly. Beary also asked people to avoid using their cellular telephones during the storm, so communications towers aren't overburdened.

Lynx officials said they would stop bus service at 3 p.m. today.

State officials said residents also should avoid the interstate system today, if possible. Bush said he may order closed parts of I-75 and I-10.

Orange County Chairman Rich Crotty said emergency workers and public works crews are preparing for the worst.

"There is some evidence that this storm is taking a turn for the worse," Crotty said.

Crotty signed two executive orders today related to the coming hurricane. The first authorizes emergency expenditures to deal with the storm and its aftermath. The second prohibits price gouging, which is also prohibited under state law. Business owners found to be gouging consumers can be fined $500 and jailed for 60 days.

"This is an opportunity to define ourselves and our community...in how we interact as neighbors, how we interact as friends and how we interact as a community," Crotty said. Bush said has spoken with President George W. Bush and has received early approval of disaster funding that will allow small business loans and family assistance.

And it that wasn't bad enough, Nelson added, hurricane trackers have reported another depression that could soon be a tropical storm southeast of Cuba and about five days away from Florida.

"This hurricane season is not starting out very well," Ben Nelson, the state meteorologist, said. "I'm spinning right now myself."


Man..Good Luck...Hope noone gets hurt - Lawnmower.Tree

[disneymomw_3boys]

Pixie Dust to all who are enduring the weather.

And heres hoping this storm brings people closer together and you find somthing magical in a difficult momement. [img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img]

[imported_JohnY]

Originally posted by TheRustyScupper:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by JohnY:
... don't they normally take down the castle in situations like this -- or is that an urban legend ...

1) Yes.
2) No.
3) Depends on your point of view & definition
4) Actually ...
... the 18 towers can be removed
... it requires a crane to pull the towers
... time required is approx 6-8 hours
... there are plans for bad weather removal
... they have yet to be pulled for weather
... most believe they will NEVER be pulled </font>[/QUOTE]From the unofficial guide to wdw...

"Contrary to myth, the castle cannot be, nor has it ever been, dismantled in the event of a hurricane."

[Chrisx2]

My sister and her family left Orlando and headed south. Loads of pixie dust to all in this storms path. We are going to get a lot rain and wind from it but nothing close to what's happening now.

Now for an odd question, do they cover the openings on the Contemporary during storms like this? I was imagining 50 MPH winds whipping through the monorail openings. Never thought about it before.