As this article was being prepared, yet another
hurricane, Frances, has its sights on Florida. The images of Hurricane
Charley will last with me forever. I cannot imagine what a second
hurricane just a few weeks later would mean to all those who are
still picking up the pieces from Charley. All of us at MousePlanet
are praying for those in the path of Hurricane Frances, and would
like our readers to send prayers and pixie dust their way as they
brace for this storm.
In a bit of a rescheduling from our planned session for this week, I
thought I’ve give everyone a recap regarding Hurricane Charley while the
memories and images are fresh in my mind. Hopefully I can give you a sense
of what it was like at the Happiest Place on Earth with a tropical depression
bearing down on you.
Thursday, August 12th
11:20 a.m.
Our plane touches down. It’s a very uneventful flight; the kind you always
wish for when going on vacation. We find Orlando to be bright and sunny…
much unexpected. We thought we would be landing in a very overcast sky.
It seems like it takes ages to secure the rental car. I was hoping to
get to the counter before I’d miss things like lunch, Halloween, and the
Presidential election. It takes approximately 60 minutes before I finally
turn on the ignition to make our trek to Walt Disney World.
Along the way, the unofficial Orlando Chamber of Commerce—known
as a Central Florida thunderstorm—greets us. This one turns the highway
into a car wash. It forces me to turn off and wait until the deluge subsides
before heading on to the Pop Century Resort.
1:15 p.m.
While checking in at Pop Century, we are told that Hurricane Charley
had caused a cancellation of Friday night’s E-Ride event, but that there
was some hope that the event would be offered Monday night. Cool.
We bring our stuff to the room and head off to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
We planned to hit it for a few hours, close that park, eat at the Rainforest
Café, and then head over and close the Magic Kingdom. We do all
of the above.
Friday, August 13th
12:10 a.m.
We return to Pop Century and tune in to the Weather Channel. I am tired,
but do catch something about Charley not behaving according to the predicted
track the computer models had forecast for him. I knew Charley would impact
my vacation, but little did I know how much.
I set the alarm for 5:30… that’s right—Breakfast with the Mouse
at Chef Mickey in the Contemporary Resort in the morning—and then
fall asleep with the television on.
3:47 a.m.
Someone in the adjacent room who has decided to take a shower awakens
me. Wow, he must have a real early Priority Seating at Chef Mick’s. I
try to get back to sleep. It’s a struggle, but I manage.
5:30 a.m.
The alarm goes off. We get up and shower. I check all the batteries for
the cameras and we take off around 6:30 for our 7 a.m. Priority Seating
at Chef Mick’s. We try to catch the news and the weather, but just grab
bits and pieces. It did sound like Charley was heading a bit closer, although
I had no idea just how close he would come.
When we open the door, my wife, Carol, says, “Hey it’s still night
time!” It’s pre-dawn… also pre-Charley.
We drive over to the Contemporary and are among the first to be seated
for breakfast.
7:00 a.m.
Our waitress comes over, and the first thing she tells us is that Disney’s
Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and Typhoon Lagoon are closed until further
notice. Blizzard Beach and all other theme parks are open until 1 p.m.
This causes us to change our plans. Instead of going to any of the parks,
we decide to do a little shopping after breakfast.
8:35 a.m.
We finish our breakfast and along the way, have photo opportunities with
the Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto) and Chip and Dale.
I will remember Dale roaming from table to table and sitting down and
banging for service… pretty amusing.
We check out the shops in the Concourse level of the Contemporary Resort
and the pins area, and take a couple of shots of the Magic Kingdom from
the north side of the hotel. I also check that mural for the legendary
five-legged goat. We then make our way out to the parking lot. It’s now
after dawn, but we cannot see the sun. It’s overcast… kind of grey…
but still a bit hot and sticky.
9:20 a.m.
We pull out of the parking lot and start towards our first location.
When we arrive at the Lake Buena Vista Premium Outlet Stores, we find
that the stores are open, but a lot of their windows are taped up in anticipation
for Charley. This also included the Disney Character Premier Store.
The store is pretty crowded. This was expected because Downtown Disney
was closed. We find a few bargains and then head back to the car.
Staff at the Disney Character Premier Store prepare for Hurricane Charley by taping up the store windows. Photo by Mike Scopa.
10:15 a.m.
This was my first trip to this shopping center, so I spend a few minutes
trying to figure out the shortest route to our next stop, Belz Factory
Outlet World. Finally, we’re on our way. I want to get there before 11,
and it isn’t looking good.
10:45 a.m.
The traffic is much thicker than I could have ever imagined. We soon
hit a stall-and-crawl kind of situation. Where are all these cars coming
from, and where are they going?
Carol flips on the radio and we find quite a few stations are simulcasting
on television with warnings about Charley. I’m thinking that it’s a bit
of overkill… until we hear that Charley has made a bit of a right
turn and is heading straight for Orlando… and us.
Obviously some businesses have decided either not to open today or to
let their employees out early. Either way, all of them are on the roads
and keeping me company.
Emergency response officials are on the radio giving everyone some guidance
as to what to expect. I listen to the radio so intently I don’t pay attention
to the time.
Some of what I hear:
“The power will be turned off in Tampa at 12 p.m.” The reasoning
here is to minimize the possibility of someone getting electrocuted from
grounded wires that had been ripped off their home by Charley. The plan
is to turn the power off and after the storm to check out sections and
gradually bring back the power. It makes sense.
We hear businesses and school closings. It seems like all of Central
Florida are shutting down around midday. I begin to wonder if Belz is
open at all.
11:30 a.m.
Now the weatherman is saying that Charley has hit land, and is now classified
as a class 3 hurricane. All I know is that such a number means something
about the winds.
There are constant reminders about shelters for people to go to for people
who live in coastal or mobile homes. All of a sudden I’m starting to take
this storm real seriously and hoping the traffic will start to move.
11:45 a.m.
The traffic continues to move slowly, and we continue to listen to the
radio.
The officials are now telling people to let them know immediately if
they need assistance… especially the elderly or those who need power
for medical equipment.
They then mention that once the winds surpass 45 mph, all emergency personnel
would take cover—they were letting everyone know that if they dialed
911 after those winds got up to that speed that there may not be an answer.
Now I’m getting a bit nervous.
12:05 p.m.
Nothing is moving on the streets. I then hear something on the radio
that makes the hairs on the back of my head stand on end. Apparently a
funnel cloud or two has been spotted in the southwestern tip of Orlando…
sort of where we’re heading.
Carol and I decide that Belz can wait for another day. As soon as I can,
I turn around and head straight back to Pop Century.
Pleasure Island is closed. Not an oft-seen sign. Photo by Mike Scopa.
12:30 p.m.
When I arrive at the resort, I park as far away as possible from any
tree or light pole. Just before turning off the car radio, we hear the
announcer mention to watch out for mini-funnel clouds or tornados. I was
happy where I was.
We enter our room and flip on the TV. It’s all-Charley, all the time.
The approach towards this storm makes what I am used to regarding our
Nor’easter snowstorms in New England pale in comparison.
It seemed that every station had a picture-in-picture display with Doppler
radar in the upper left while the rest of the screen had an official giving
advice, telephone numbers, and warnings about what was going to happen.
They sound continuous warnings about the power going out and the officials
plead to those who are dependent on electrical medical equipment to head
for the special-needs shelters that are equipped with generators.
They also announce that Lynx, the Orlando downtown bus service, would
shut down by 3 p.m.
We think it best to go to the food court and have some lunch as soon
as possible. It’s pretty crowded at the food court, as the guests are
now coming back to the resort and getting ready for a long Florida night.
After a quick lunch, we head back to our room. We’re staying in the ’50s
section of Pop Century, so we’re fairly close to the Food Court. But we’re
also on the first floor…. not sure it that’s good or not, but we
have no choice.
1:45 p.m.
No sooner do we get into the room when there is a knock on the door.
We’re handed a letter from the resort. The letter warns us about the impending
visit from Hurricane Charley and give us some guidelines to help us ride
out the storm. Some of the important points were:
- Keep away from the windows
- Keep connecting room doors unlocked
- Do not double lock the door
- Keep blinds and drapes closed and furniture in the room.
- Do not leave the room until notified.
The letter also tells us that they would run continuous showings of Finding
Nemo, Monsters, Inc., and Brother Bear on the internal
resort channels.
To their credit, the Pop Century staff let us know how serious this bit
of weather was to be, and wanted to make sure they did everything to keep
their guests safe, comfortable, and entertained.
We start to play the waiting game. I’m restless and walk outside. People
are still straggling in and looking for parking spots. To my surprise,
I see several guests go out to the parking lot and drive off. They seemed
pretty happy. I thought they seemed pretty foolish.
2:45 p.m.
It begins to sprinkle. There is a slight breeze but nothing that would
move a windsock. I return to the room where Carol has one of the local
stations on the TV. We are being told of the plans to remove power from
certain areas by Florida Power and Light.
All these warnings make me curious… waiting… waiting for Charley.
We walk around the resort because the rain has let up and it is clear.
We talk with our next-door neighbors from Minnesota and a few other guests.
The resort guests are returning to wait out the storm.
We wait and wait and wait.
4:00 p.m.
I start jotting down notes about the day. I wonder if I would have enough
to recap all that is happening. I shouldn’t have wondered.
The skies gradually darken and the rain slowly becomes steady, but nothing
is out of the unusual. I still cannot imagine this is a hurricane.
Slowly and steadily, the skies grow dark… so dark that the parking
lot lights come on. The weather is about to go downhill faster than your
favorite log on Splash Mountain.
The winds are really picking up. As I glance out the window, I watch
some of the younger saplings yield to the winds while the older trees
play the part of the immovable object to the irresistible force.
5:30 p.m.
The winds subside and the rain has stopped… it was getting light
outside. Was it over? No. I suspect that it’s either a calm pocket, or
we are in the center of Charley’s eye. As I leave my room and walk around,
I see other guests doing the same… probably thinking the same as
me… although my guess is that the Midwesterners aren’t familiar with
the eyes of hurricanes.
This period of calmness lasts for at least 90 minutes. We spend the time
walking around and then watching the TV for reports as to what to expect,
and what Charley has wrought to the southwest portion of the state. It’s
apparent that it would be morning before we find out the total impact
of Charley’s visit.
Over the course of about 45 minutes, Hurricane Charley turns day to night. Photo by Mike Scopa.
7:30 p.m.
Round 2 has arrived. And it makes Round 1 seem like a sun shower. The
winds pick up and day turns into night. The rain is coming down in water
walls and those aforementioned trees are being forced to see things Charley’s
way.
I try to videotape some of this storm from just outside the room, but
Carol quickly points out that there is a danger of the wind tossing something
my way. I was ready to brush off that warning when I notice that trees
close to our room are suddenly horizontal, and those tacky 45rpm records
and transistor radio decorations attached to the railings of the building
are shaking. That, plus being blown back into the room, convinces me that
it’s best to stay in the room, for who knows where or when some projectile
with my name on it could end up introducing itself to my skull.
This period of wind and rain and some thunder lasts for a few hours.
At one point, the wind actually blows the rain through the door jam openings.
Now, that’s a good trick.
The full brunt of the storm seems to take place between 8:30 and 9:30,
and I cannot keep my eyes off the outside and marvel at Mother Nature’s
force.
By 10 p.m. the winds begin to subside and the rains let up ever so slightly.
It’s still quite a rainstorm but it’s apparent that Charley has left the
building.
We continue to watch television and soon fall asleep with our clothes
on. We had never changed because we always had a small voice in the back
of our heads saying, “What if they tell you to evacuate the building?”
So as Charley’s wind and rain sweep off to the Northeast, we are swept
off to sleep wondering what the morning would bring.
Next Time
Now that the sound and fury of Hurricane Charley has come and gone, what
awaited us in the morning? Join me for Part 2 and see how the Walt Disney
World fared and what the days ahead meant for me and the resort.
