Hurricane Ian floods hotels around Orlando theme parks as Disney World, Universal close for 2 days

Several attractions in and around Orlando, Fla., were forced to shut down for at least two days as Hurricane Ian passed through Central Florida. And as area hotels remained open, guests took to social media to share shocking images of one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S.

The monstrous storm that left more than 2.5 million customers without power made landfall on the Florida mainland Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm.

Ian has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but as the ferocious storm plowed into Florida’s southwest coast and slowly made its way through central Florida, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and Sea World Orlando announced they would temporarily close their gates and cancel or postpone all scheduled events.

Videos circulation on social media showed the massive downpours from Ian flooding the Disney Swan and Disney Dolphin resorts, which are situated in the heart of the Disney World complex, surrounded by the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT parks.

The torrential storm also flooded the area around Universal Orlando.

According to local television station WTLV-TV, the heavy downpour near the Double Tree by Hilton hotel at Universal Studios left some of the cars completely submerged.

The powerful winds also ripped a large hole in the side of Universal’s Jurassic Park River Adventure.

Flash flooding was reported in parts of Kissimmee, a city located about 11 miles east of the Disney Parks, and home to many hotels servicing the area.

On Thursday morning, city officials shared a shocking video on Twitter showing an entire neighborhood under murky waters.

“Extensive flooding in our area remains a serious situation for Kissimmee residents. Shelter in place as first responders continue rescue operations,” the tweet read. “If you have an emergency, call 9-1-1.”

Thursday afternoon, Disney said that it could reopen its gates as early as Friday.

“While theme parks and many operating areas remain closed to guests today, we anticipate weather conditions to improve this evening,” the House of Mouse said in a statement. “Walt Disney World Resort will resume theme park and Disney Springs operations in a phased approach starting on Friday, Sept. 30.”

In its latest weather update, Universal said its parks will remain closed Thursday, but it anticipates reopening them on Friday, “as conditions permit.”