BRACING FOR HORROR
Tourists seen stranded in Disney World just hours before Hurricane Milton strikes… as trapped Brits say ‘we are worried’
Watch above the latest report on the storm
TOURISTS including Brits were stranded in Disney World a mere few hours before Hurricane Milton struck.
The deadly tempest hit Florida bringing with it 120mph winds and 15ft storm surges - forcing millions to evacuate.
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People were fearlessly captured arriving at Walt Disney World as Hurricane Milton vastly approached Florida.
Among those staying at the Orlando park are Brits Terence and Cian, who are residing at Disney's Pop Century resort as Florida braces for the deadly hurricane.
The couple from Basingstoke, England, told they'd been warned that all Disney Parks and Disney Springs would close from 2pm local time and were likely to remain closed throughout Thursday.
Terence said he had heard other guests attempting to arrange early flights home - but now the local airport has been closed.
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He added that he and his husband had been forced to cancel dinner plans in another resort as there is no transport available.
Terence said: "It's early, but it's quiet.
"It's raining quite a bit today, but at the moment it feels fairly normal for Orlando.
"It's hard to know about the rest of the week until the storm hits and the damage becomes clearer."
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But he says the staff at Disney have reassured the pair that it is "one of the safest places to ride out a storm."
Terence added: "One cast member told us that when the power goes out in Florida, the first place to get back online are the hospitals, the second place is Disney.
Watch moment sick passengers are airlifted off stranded cruise ship off Florida coast as Hurricane Milton barrels in
"The news over here is really talking about the storm as a life and death event, so it is a bit worrying, but we’re keeping positive and making the most of it."
Milton hit Florida on Wednesday, with the first casualties reported in the Spanish Lakes area of Fort Pierce after tornadoes battered the state before Milton made landfall.
Shortly before the hurricane made landfall, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged: "You have to shelter in place and just hunker down."
He added: "Unfortunately there will be fatalities.
"I don't think there's any way around that."
Earlier, President Joe Biden called Milton "one of the most destructive hurricanes in Florida in over a century," adding: "It's a matter of life and death, and that's not hyperbole."
Pop star Taylor Swift pledged $5million to help with the relief effort after the hurricane has passed.
Dramatic footage showed entire palm trees ripped from their trunks, while in a clip by the NOAA, the storm caused massive 30ft waves.
State lawmakers fear Milton will be one of the worst and most destructive hurricanes in Florida in 100 years.
In the days leading up to the storm's arrival, millions across west-central Florida stocked up their vehicles with essential items and personal belongings, driving north or south away from Milton's intimidating path.
Ashley Moody made the spine-chilling comment in a press conference with Republican Senator Rick Scott on Monday as she addressed residents going against evacuation orders.
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Are you in Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches? Get in touch with us to share your stories at [email protected]
She warned any Floridians who weren't to evacuate "probably need to write your name in permanent marker on your arm so that people know who you are when they get to you afterwards."
Referring to Hurricane Helene's devastation last week, Moody also added that officials are still "uncovering folks on the beach who thought they could stay there, and the storm surge got them".
Gov. Ron DeSantis said there are 9,000 Guardsmen deployed, with one-third who have come from other states, with 26 search and rescue teams in place.
He added: "This is the largest Florida National Guard search and rescue mobilization in the entire history of the state of Florida.
"They are currently embedded in the potential impact sites along the west coast to begin immediate rescue operations as soon as the storm passes."
Among Milton's deadly chaos, storm chasers were captured being battered by extreme turbulence as they flew into the eye of the hurricane.
Scary footage shows scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) being thrown around the flight.
The aircraft named "Miss Piggy" was collecting data on the hurricane heading towards Tampa on Tuesday morning when the footage was captured.
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Locals have been told their home is a "coffin" as the hurricane is set to bring 15-foot wave surges that could completely submerge houses in parts of the state.
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What is a hurricane and how do they form?
A HURRICANE is another name for a tropical cyclone - a powerful storm that forms over warm ocean waters near the equator.
Those arising in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific are called hurricanes, while those in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean are dubbed typhoons or cyclones.
North of the equator they spin anticlockwise because of the rotation of the Earth, however, they turn the opposite way in the southern hemisphere.
Cyclones are like giant weather engines fuelled by water vapor as it evaporates from the sea.
Warm, moist air rises away from the surface, creating a low-pressure system that sucks in air from surrounding areas - which in turn is warmed by the ocean.
As the vapour rises it cools and condenses into swirling bands of cumulonimbus storm clouds.
The system grows and spins faster, sucking in more air and feeding off the energy in seawater that has been warmed by the sun.
At the center, a calm "eye" of the storm is created where cooled air sinks towards the ultra-low pressure zone below, surrounded by spiraling winds of warm air rising.
The faster the wind, the lower the air pressure at the center, and the storm grows stronger and stronger.
Tropical cyclones usually weaken when they hit land as they are no longer fed by evaporation from the warm sea.
But they often move far inland - dumping vast amounts of rain and causing devastating wind damage - before the "fuel" runs out and the storm peters out.
Hurricanes can also cause storm surges when the low air pressure sucks the sea level higher than normal, swamping low-lying coasts.
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