Hurricane Debby Devastates Disney World: Major Damage to Theme Park Area

Hurricane Debby ripped through the Walt Disney World Resort this week, destroying a small piece of Disney’s EPCOT theme park.

Credit: Brian McGowan on Unsplash

Related: Disney CEO Bob Iger’s Toy Venture Faces Lawsuit, Forced to Pay Multi-Million-Dollar Settlement

Guests visiting EPCOT this week noticed that several pavilion flags had gone missing at the front of the park. These flags are located near the front of Spaceship Earth, EPCOT’s premier dark ride located inside the actual “EPCOT ball.”

Hurricane Debby seemingly destroyed at least one of these flags, with Disney opting to remove the rest of the flags entirely.

Credit: Disney

Related: Fight Breaks Out at Disneyland Restaurant, Multiple Guests Involved

Northern Florida has experienced harsh conditions and high winds over the last couple of days due to Hurricane Debby. Debby has wreaked serious havoc on the Walt Disney World Resort specifically, prompting outages and closures of all kinds. For example, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park shut down completely.

When Hurricane Debby first made landfall earlier this week, it prompted the closure of several other popular Florida theme parks, with both Universal Studios and Walt Disney World limiting operations as well.

The Walt Disney World Monorail also closed down due to the hurricane, limiting the number of people exiting and entering the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.

While the thought of being in Disney World during a hurricane or other type of storm may sound terrifying, Florida’s Disney theme park resort is actually quite a safe spot to hunker down in for guests who happen to be visiting during a natural disaster.

Walt Disney World is equipped with hurricane-proof hotels and resorts, generators, and ample food and water supplies. In addition, Magic Kingdom’s iconic Cinderella Castle was reportedly built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.

Hurricane Debby Rips EPCOT Flag to Shreds

Credit: Disney

Related: Disney Finally Admits Why Parks Are Empty During Peak Season

However, Hurricane Debby appears to have caused slight damage to EPCOT, resulting in the removal of all the flags from the front of the park.

Twitter/X user riderover_ shared a video revealing that one of the flags had been ripped to shreds by the high winds and rain.

Epcot during during the morning of Hurricane Debbie. One of the outer bands is coming through which is creating some higher winds. Spaceship Earths flag is ripped to shreds this morning. 🌎 pic.twitter.com/elgLT30Pdv

— RideRover (@riderover_) August 5, 2024

Twitter/X user crazyparkguy shared a video of the flags after their removal.

Pavilion flags are missing at EPCOT today.
Could we be getting new pavilion logos at D23?? pic.twitter.com/o6SPvB78jx

— crazyparkguy (@crazyparkguy) August 7, 2024

It’s unknown when EPCOT’s flags will return or what condition they’re in. It’s likely other areas at Walt Disney World Resort have been damaged by Hurricane Debby.

These flags represent the various sections of EPCOT, which is now split into four areas: World Showcase, World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature. These lands feature unique rides and attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and the now-closed Test Track.

Test Track shut down earlier this summer, making way for a brand-new version of the ride. Disney announced this project late last year, with portions of the ride being dismantled and demolished over the last several weeks.

Hurricane Debby caused several popular rides and attractions to close at Walt Disney World this week, leaving guests with fewer things to do. However, crowds quickly dispersed due to the storm, meaning guests who were visiting as Hurricane Debby moved through had to deal with much lower wait times.

Universal Orlando Resort also felt the effects of Hurricane Debby, with the popular theme park experiencing intense flooding and high water levels.

Will you be visiting Walt Disney World soon?