**Hurricane Ian Causes Flooding at Orlando Hotels as Disney World and Universal Close for Two Days**
Several popular attractions in Orlando, Florida, including Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, were forced to close for at least two days as Hurricane Ian swept through Central Florida. As the storm passed, guests staying at area hotels shared alarming images and videos of the hurricane’s impact on social media.
Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S., made landfall on Florida’s mainland on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane, leaving over 2.5 million people without power.
Videos posted online showed significant flooding at the Disney Swan and Dolphin resorts, located within the Disney World complex. The resorts are surrounded by Disney’s major theme parks, including Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. The storm also caused flooding in areas around Universal Orlando, with reports of cars being completely submerged near the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at Universal Studios.
In addition to the flooding, the storm caused structural damage, including a large hole in Universal’s Jurassic Park River Adventure attraction. Flash flooding was also reported in Kissimmee, a city located just east of the Disney Parks, where many hotels serve park visitors. Local authorities shared videos showing entire neighborhoods submerged in water, urging residents to shelter in place as rescue operations continued.
Despite the devastation, Disney announced that it might reopen as early as Friday, September 30, depending on weather conditions. Universal Orlando also stated that it plans to reopen its parks on Friday, as long as conditions allow.
SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland also closed their doors during the storm, with all events canceled or postponed.
As of Thursday, Hurricane Ian had been downgraded to a tropical storm, but the damage left in its wake was still being assessed across Central Florida.
Source: aol.com