Jonathan BallA British family on the holiday of a lifetime in Florida have been put into a hotel lockdown due to safety fears over Hurricane Milton.
The Ball family, from Billericay, Essex, had arrived at Disney World Orlando on Saturday to celebrate their youngest child beating leukaemia.
However, the dream trip was thrown into chaos when their hotel was evacuated and they were urgently moved to secure Disney accommodation the next day.
“I think anyone that can leave Orlando is trying to get out of the eye of the storm,” Jonathan Ball told BBC News.
Mr Ball said he, his wife and their three children had been instructed to remain in their hotel until Thursday afternoon at the earliest.
Jonathan BallUS officials have warned Hurricane Milton could bring life-threatening impacts when it hits the Florida coast on Thursday morning.
The category four hurricane is one of the most powerful storms to form in the North Atlantic in recent years.
“We’ve had bad news and to come here – the first time we’ve come to America – and get hit with a tornado is pretty unlucky,” Mr Ball said.
“It was a bit of a shock when we got called and were told we were going to be evacuated.
“It’s not as bad as when we were told [our daughter] had cancer though, and so we’re used to bad news.”
While Orlando is not due to be at the centre of the hurricane’s path, those in the region have been warned about flooding and strong winds.
Mr Ball said prior to being put in unofficial lockdown, shops the family visited had been stripped of water supplies.
There were also shortages of petrol due to people filling their vehicles to leave the region, he added.
“We were in a taxi and one of the drivers said ‘You know it’s bad if Disney closes’ – and Disney is closing,” the dad-of-three said.
“We’ve had lots of messages, mostly saying how gutted they are for us. Everyone’s worried but they know we’re in a safe place now.”