Credit: Inside the MagicWalt Disney properties are no strangers to natural disasters. Whether it be hurricanes, wildfires, or earthquakes, Disney properties have seen it all.
Just the past year, Hurricane Milton struck Central Florida, causing Disney World to close for a day. Luckily, the damage to Disney World property was not extensive, but others in Central Florida were not that lucky.
It’s not just Disney’s Central Florida property that has to worry about hurricanes. In 2023, for the first time since 1939, the Disneyland Resort was hit with a hurricane. Hurricane Hilary clipped Southern California, causing Disneyland to shut down and dumped nearly 12 inches of rain on the state.
It’s not just Disney-owned properties that have to deal with weather conditions, but also properties bearing Walt’s name. This week, one of those properties suffered extensive damage and needs your help to reopen.
On Saturday, tornados swept through Texas and Louisiana, killing four. One of those tornados touched down in Alvin, Texas, just South of Houston, bringing its 125-mile-per-hour winds down on the city.
During the tornado, a large portion of Walt Disney Elementary School in Alvin was severely damaged. The damage was so bad that the Alvin Independent School District announced that students would be attending school at an alternate site after the holiday break.
Alvin Superintendent Carol Nelson said:
We’re in the process of working with transportation and families that we will bus them to another site. An open school that we are currently using for training and things of that nature. We have to set it up as a whole new elementary school. That’s what we’re working on now.
The district is working with families and the bus company to create new routes this week to get students to an alternative site for classes. However, they will need books and school supplies once they get to their classes.
Walt Disney Elementary, Alvin, Texas pic.twitter.com/EsbLhPM4Yn
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Most of the school supplies in the building were destroyed. The district held several school supply drives before the new year but still needs more supplies before it can open.
Walt Disney Elementary is home to around 450 students in grades three through five. The school opened in 1979.
If you are interested in helping Walt Disney Elementary, you can donate here or you can email the Alvin Independent School District at adminservices@alvinisd.net.