Orlando International Airport shutting down for Milton while Disney World remains open — for now

The gateway into the tourism capital of the world is getting ready to shut down ahead of Hurricane Milton.

Orlando International Airport is suspending commercial operations sometime Wednesday morning.

“This move was made in coordination with our partners. We will resume commercial operations as soon as it is safe,” the airport said Monday.

Meanwhile, the world’s biggest theme park has not announced changes from the storm.

“Walt Disney World Resort is currently operating under normal conditions. We are closely monitoring the path of the projected storm as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members,” the company said Monday.

Hurricane Milton will unleash up to 110 mph winds and up to a foot of rain by the time it reaches Orange County, Mayor Jerry Demings said Monday afternoon as the government prepares for the worst-case scenario.

“What that means to us is that our community is likely going to experience both power outages, trees down and potentially even some localized flooding because of the amount of rainfall that is anticipated,” Demings said at a county press conference.

Now under a hurricane warning, Orange County government is closing down Wednesday and Thursday while first responders are “all hands on deck,” Demings said.

The county is suspending regular yard waste and garbage pickups Wednesday and Thursday.

Orange County courts and the School District will also be closed while Orange County opens 11 hurricane shelters starting 6 p.m. Tuesday that could hold thousands, Demings said. Six shelters will be pet-friendly.

Demings praised the community’s response in getting ready.

By Monday afternoon, the county gave out 100,000 free sandbags.

“The demand for sandbags has been nothing short of extraordinary. Our citizens are preparing,” Demings said.

A Duke Energy spokeswoman said the company is mobilizing 10,000 responders.

“We are preparing for more than 1 million power outages across the state,” the spokesperson said. “Duke Energy Florida is ready, but I can’t stress it enough, there will be extended power outages”

Duke Energy warned people whose homes haven’t flooded before or lost power in past storms could still be affected during Milton.

She urged people who need electricity for their home medical equipment to either evacuate or have a backup power source. At homes that are being threatened by floods or are prone to flooding, residents should turn the power off from the circuit breaker or fuse box ahead of an outage for precaution, she said.