Walt Disney World announced late on Sept. 2 that its theme parks in Florida will be shutting down early on Tuesday afternoon, it was reported.
Disney World’s The Magic Kingdom and Epcot will close at 3 p.m., Local10 reported.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will shut down at 2 p.m., officials said. The resort’s miniature golf courses and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon will close at 3 p.m.
Visitors will be relocated to other properties, including Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Local10 reported.
In 2017, Disney World shut down ahead of Hurricane Irma.
Hurricane Dorian is still miles out to sea, squatting over the Bahamas where it has already destroyed homes with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (249 kph). Forecasters warn Dorian can still be dangerous as it draws closer to Florida even if its eye does not make landfall in the state.
The National Weather Service warned of hurricane-strength winds, several feet of storm surges and the risk of dangerous flash flooding along much of the Florida coastline in the coming days.
Nine counties in Florida have ordered mandatory evacuations, while seven counties have voluntary evacuations in place. Farther north, officials in coastal South Carolina and Georgia ordered hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes for shelter.
“Residents should remain in shelter on Grand Bahama Island as they are currently experiencing the southern eyewall of Dorian. Residents in the Abacos should also continue to stay in their shelter until conditions subside later tonight,” the agency warned, adding that “these hazards will continue over Grand Bahama Island through much of this evening, causing extreme destruction on the island.”
