Cast Members Forced to Work as Deadly Hurricane Hit Disney World; Report

Last week, Hurricane Milton slammed into the west coast of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. Milton had sustained winds of more than 120 miles per hour, created massive storm surges that caused damaging flooding, and even created tornadoes that ripped through parts of the state.

Before Hurricane Milton hit, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency, and evacuations were ordered in certain areas.

Despite the dangerous conditions Hurricane Milton brought with it, Disney cast members were reportedly not allowed to protect themselves and their homes.

Related: Hotels Flooded and Landscaping Destroyed; Walt Disney World Cleanup Begins

In a shocking new report, Business Insider spoke to multiple cast members who said they were not allowed to leave early to ensure they got home safely before the hurricane hit. Many in the area were still dealing with the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, which struck the area just two weeks earlier.

Hurricane Milton began hitting the Orlando area on the evening of Wednesday, October 9. On that day, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom were open until 1 p.m., while the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT were open until 2 p.m. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was canceled for that night.

According to the cast members who spoke to Business Insider, their managers refused to cancel shifts, even as the weather continued to worsen. Employees were then forced to stay after the theme parks closed, so they could help prep the parks for the worst Hurricane Milton had to offer. One employee said the parks were empty, and the Magic Kingdom only appeared to be at 10% capacity.

Another cast member said that by the time they were allowed to leave the resort and go home, there were tornado warnings being issued in the area. They said that the parks should not have been open that day and that cast members should not have felt forced to put themselves in danger or risk getting a mark against them.

Related: Damage Found: Hurricane Milton Tears Up Disney’s Controversial Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

In a statement to The New York Post, Disney said that it always prioritizes cast member safety and constantly communicated with theme park employees as it monitored Hurricane Milton.

“Safety is always our first and most important factor when making decisions that will affect our cast members and guests and throughout the storm, we provided frequent and timely updates on our changes to make sure they returned home hours before the worst of the weather reached Central Florida.”

Now, Disney does have cast members who are part of what is called a “ride-out crew.” These are cast members who volunteer to work at the resort hotels during events like a hurricane. The cast members arrive at their assigned location before the storm hits and stay until it is safe for everyone to leave. They do not leave and sleep on the premises. Again, this is a voluntary work assignment.

However, the cast members who said they were forced to remain at the parks for their entire shift were not part of Disney’s ride-out crew.

In addition to having to work on the day the hurricane hit, cast members said they were also told they would have to go to the parks on October 9 to help clean up. The theme parks were closed to guests on October 9, as conditions were still dangerous at that time.

The anonymous cast members said that they were shocked that Disney would consider the conditions too dangerous for guests, but would force employees to put themselves at risk. They said that many employees did not show up, regardless of the fact that they might get into trouble with management.

Reports from Goldman Sachs indicate that the damage caused by Hurricane Milton could cost Disney somewhere between $150 and $200 million.

All Walt Disney World Resort theme parks are now open and operating under normal conditions and hours.

Do you think Disney did the wrong thing by forcing its cast members to work on the day Hurricane Milton hit? Should the theme parks have been closed all day? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!