Members of a Halifax-area family stranded at Walt Disney World during Hurricane Irma have returned home.
Tom Stears and Melissa Dauphinee took their three children to the popular Florida theme park last week. They tried to return home before the storm struck, but were unable to get a flight.
The family from Stillwater Lake, N.S. rode out the storm at Disney’s Pop Century resort with scores of other stranded tourists.
Stears told CTV News that many guests were feeling anxious as Hurricane Irma tore a path through Florida, uprooting trees, damaging buildings, flooding streets and resulting in a dangerous storm surge.
Guests were asked to observe a curfew in their rooms while the storm moved into the area and children were barred from the main streets.
After days of uncertainty, Stears and his family arrived back in Nova Scotia just after midnight.
“Great to be home; we’re tired, but we’re glad to get on the first flight out in the morning,” said Stears.
“It was quite disappointing, but at the same time, we were safer this way as well,” said his son, William Stears.
Walt Disney World’s theme parks reopened on Tuesday, according to the resort’s website. Disney’s water parks will not open until later this week. Universal Orlando Resort reported “relatively minor damage” to fences, trees, signs and facades. Its theme parks also reopened on Tuesday.
Global Affairs currently advises Canadians to avoid travel to Florida, Turks and Caicos, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maartin, and Antigua and Barbuda.
With files from CTVNews.ca
