Dark clouds loom over the famous Cinderella castle in Orlando (Picture: Imgur)

Orlando’s world-famous theme park Walt Disney World has closed for the first time in 11 years following the arrival of Hurricane Matthew.

Shutting it’s gates alongside Universal Studios and SeaWorld, the closure is the fourth in Disney World’s 45 year history.

News reporter warns viewers ‘your kids will die’ in Hurricane Matthew

The shocking closures have been imposed following warnings issued to three million people to evacuate the US coast.

All of the popular park’s closures have been due to hurricanes, including Floyd and Frances in 1999 and Jeanne in 2004.


Haunting images show dark clouds looming over the popular Disney Cinderella castle in the empty park.

Eerie pictures show the grounds of Magic Kingdom this morning (Picture: Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images)

People fled a Disney theme park in heavy rain after it closed (Picture: Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images)

The park has only ever closed three times before (Picture: Twitter.com/Rairizarry)

‘Devastated’ holidaymakers staying at the park’s hotels have also taken to Twitter to describe the current scenes – with one stating that a ‘howling wind’ has begun.



Another said: ‘I just heard that Disney World shut down because of Matthew. It NEVER shuts down so please everyone stay safe in Florida.’

In a statement, the park said: ‘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 and will remain closed through Friday due to the latest forecasts for Hurricane Matthew.’

Many people living in parts of Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina left their homes ahead of the storms, however a few refused to evacuate.

The first death in the US has now been confirmed, according to ABC news.

St. Lucie County, Florida Sheriff confirmed a person died overnight after emergency officials could not get to them in time.

County Emergency Operations in Florida have revealed that many people are now asking ‘why did I stay?’

Here's a look at some of the damage along Daytona Shores #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/592y4Yk5TZ — Mike Springer WFTV (@mspringerwftv) October 7, 2016

What is believed to be the biggest storm of the century has now hit, with heavy rain and 120mph winds plummeting Florida’s central Atlantic coast.

As of this morning, more than 400,000 homes and businesses have lost power and the deadly storm’s eyewall approached within five miles of the coastline.

Tornadoes and a 12ft storm surge are expected to hit West Palm Beach, and then slowly push north for the next 12 hours along the Interstate 95 corridor, through Cape Canaveral and Jacksonville.

Forecasters believe it will then hug the coast of Georgia and South Carolina over the weekend before veering out to sea.

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Winds from Hurricane Matthew hit a marina on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas (Picture: AP Photo/Tim Aylen)

A gas station on Bay Street is toppled due to Hurricane Matthew striking Nassau (Picture: Reuters/Dante Carrer)

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley ordered an evacuation of more than a million people in coastal areas (Reuters/Jonathan Drake)

The head of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Authority, Capt. Stephen Russell, said there were many downed trees and power lines (Picture: AP Photo/Tim Aylen)

One man, named Jason Foster – aka Storm Tecture – is live streaming the storm on Periscope from his car.

Matthew weakened slightly this morning to a Category 3 storm, however the US National Hurricane Center said it’s expected to remain powerful as it moves closer to Florida’s coast.

Flights between the UK and Florida have been cancelled or delayed and the UK Foreign Office is urging people in the area to monitor weather reports and follow the advice of the local authorities.



President Barack Obama has also declared a state of emergency for Florida.

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Lailoni Kent, 8, of Lake Worth, screams when the pull of the wave was stronger than she thought while playing on the beach (Picture: Greg Lovett / The Palm Beach Post via AP)

Downed trees and debris lay over a roadway in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Nassau (Picture: AP Photo/Craig Lenihan)

The FO said: ‘Hurricane Matthew is forecast to bring hazardous sea and weather conditions to parts of the east coast of the US from 6 October 2016. Strong winds, heavy rain, flooding, and storm surge in coastal areas is expected.

‘Sporadic tornadoes are possible. Hurricane warnings and watches have been issued, triggering evacuation orders in several areas of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.’

Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, said: ‘This storm’s a monster. I’m going to pray for everybody’s safety.

‘The storm has already killed people. We should expect the same impact in Florida.’

Also today, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pilot Captain Tim Gallagher, flew directly into the eye of Hurricane Matthew.

Shocking video footage shows the moment he and his crew shoot through the storm to assess it.

The aircraft can be seen shaking violently until it reaches and eerie calm in the eye of the hurricane.

At least 480 people have been killed by the storm as it swept through Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

The actual death toll is still yet to be calculated.

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Rain and wine from the hurricane made landfall in Florida this morning (Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A KFC sign fell after being hit by the hurricane (Picture: Reuters/Dante Carrer)

A man works to install window shutters at an ocean front home in South Carolina (Picture: Reuters/Randall Hill)

In Haiti, Matthew caused catastrophic damage, crushing bridges, forcing rivers to overflow and blowing roofs apart, officials said.

More than 29,000 homes were also destroyed in the hard-hit Sud department alone, and more than 20,000 people have been displaced.

Haiti’s southern city of Jeremie suffered ‘complete destruction,’ with 80 percent of the buildings leveled, relief agencies said.

Today, the Red Cross launched an emergency appeal to provide immediate relief to 50,000 Haitians in the aftermath of the storm.


In the Dominican Republic at least four people – three of them children – have been killed.

The last Category 3 storm or higher to hit the US was Wilma in October 2005, which killed five people and caused an estimated $21 billion in damage.