Holidaymakers in the eye of the storm

TERRIFIED British tourists caught in the path of deadly Hurricane Milton have been forced to take shelter.

- Christopher Bucktin

Hundreds of holidaymakers hoping to enjoy some fun in the sun in Orlando home of Disney World and Universal Studios are now Florida's braced to experience "worst storm in 100 years".

And Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that up to 15ft of storm surge is forecast for her city - deep enough to swallow an entire house.

Issuing a dire warning about the monstrous category five hurricane, she said: "If you're in it, basically, that's the coffin that you're in." Lee Bercaw, Tampa's police chief, predicted it would be the "storm of the century" and the sheer scale of Milton's "horrific" strength prompted a veteran meteorologist to burst into tears live on television.

Many Floridian communities are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, which left at least 230 people dead found Dozens of Brits have themselves stranded in hotels as flights have been grounded and all theme parks and attractions have closed.

Terence Turner, from Basingstoke, is staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort with his husband Cian.

He called the weather "worrying" and said: "It's raining quite a bit today but at the moment, it feels fairly normal for Orlando.

"It's hard to know about the rest of the week until the storm hits and the damage becomes clearer.

"One Disney cast member told us that when the power goes out in Florida, the first places to get back online are the hospitals and the second place is Disney.

"The news over here is really talking about the storm as a life-and death event so it is a bit worrying, but we're keeping positive and making the most of it.' Eleven of the 14 flights scheduled between the UK and Florida yesterday were cancelled.