Communicators on alert as Hurricane Matthew shuts down Disney World

As Hurricane Matthew is set to hit the southeastern United States, Florida’s Walt Disney World & Resorts did something for the fourth time in history.

It closed its doors.

Hurricane Matthew joins other hurricanes in shutting down the tourist destination—only four times in 45 years.

Disney World has decided to close down for Hurricane Matthew. It's only closed 3 other times in its 45 year history: https://t.co/0BgeZinlx0 http://pic.twitter.com/xf9y9qPckF

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 6, 2016

Walt Disney World “was also evacuated in a brisk 30 minutes on 9/11, but the parks were not closed beforehand,” CNBC reported.

On Thursday, the parks’ editorial content director, Thomas Smith, posted the following on the Disney Parks Blog:

We wanted to share an important update that Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney Springs, miniature golf courses, Water Parks and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will be closed Thursday at 5 p.m. and will remain closed through Friday, October 7, 2016 due to the latest forecasts for Hurricane Matthew. Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park was closed earlier Thursday.

Currently, our phone centers in Florida are experiencing heavy call volume with unusually extended hold times and will likely remain busy for the remainder of the week. If you’re planning a future vacation at the Walt Disney World Resort, you’re encouraged to visit http://ift.tt/2dxPnmk.

Please continue to monitor the Disney Parks Blog and the front page of http://ift.tt/2dxPnmk for updates.

Visitors can also access the information in a special FAQ page that Walt Disney World created for Hurricane Matthew information.

Walt Disney World’s social media team tweeted the announcement through its main account as well as its Walt Disney World Resort account, which park employees use to communicate with current visitors:

Here’s the latest on Walt Disney World’s operating schedule due to Hurricane Matthew: https://t.co/PlrgFc4uNZ

— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) October 6, 2016

Due to weather, the Walt Disney World Resort will close at 5p on Thursday, Oct. 6 and will remain closed through Friday, Oct. 7. http://pic.twitter.com/lH6CvEw0LS

— WDW Today (@WDWToday) October 6, 2016

The team also posted the information on its Facebook page:

Lisa Arney, senior communications manager for Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts, says the organization’s social media activity is focusing on communicating information about the storm.

The announcement is sending the parks’ staff scrambling to answer visitors’ questions and help cancel travel plans, but the decision to close is also garnering praise:

Disney World is not the only place that shut down this week. The Washington Post reported:

The tourism and travel industries are hunkering down. Central Florida’s theme parks are closing early and staying dark through at least Friday. American Airlines has canceled all flights to Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach. In Miami, beach access east of the dunes is off-limits. Depending on the level of damage, most attractions and sites hope to reopen on Saturday, but you should always call or check online before venturing out. Here is a status update on five of the Sunshine State’s most popular tourist destinations. For hurricane info in Florida: Visitflorida.com.

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from PR Daily News Feed http://ift.tt/2dy93ZS