Florida in near-shutdown mode for Matthew
Hurricane Matthew managed to do what no event since Sept. 11, 2001, has been able to accomplish: a near-total shutdown across the state of Florida.
And the lingering eco - n o mi c e f f e c t s c o u l d b e massive — Florida has an almost-$3 billion-a-day economy.
F r o m t h e me p a r k s t o airports and state offices, the effec ts of the storm’s approach were swift and wide-ranging.
Even Disney announced it would close early Thursday and remain shuttered through today, marking only the fourth time the resort has closed.
Earlier Thursday, other theme parks paved the way before Disney shut its gates.
Universal Orlando, Lego- l a n d F l o r i d a a n d S e a - World all said they would b e c l o s e d t o d ay a s C e n - tral Florida braced for Matthew’s wrath.
The scope of the storm led to thousands of flight cancellations nationwide, as airlines including American, Frontier and Allegiant announced they would not fly into or out of many Florida airports until the storm had passed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
“Our team of meteorologists continues to closely monitor the track of the hurricane,” American Airlines said in a news release. “The resumption of airport operations will be dependent on weather conditions at the airport, public transit and roadways.”
Most airlines issued travel waivers, reducing or removing rebooking and cancel- lation fees for flights into and out of airports in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Interstate bus line Grey- County closed early Thursday, with plans to open late today or early Saturday.
Many restaurants also shut their doors for the storm, although some chose to stay open, with E.R. Bradley’s Saloon in downtown West Palm Beach calling itself “The Official Hurricane Landfall Headquarters.”
“This is how we’ve always d o n e i t , ” Ni c k C o n i g l i o, whose family owns Bradley’s, told The Palm Beach Post on Wednesday. “We stay open and service the downtown area. We become a hub to commiserate and celebrate and just gather.”
But t r ave l was l i mite d Thursday, as drivers were warned to st ay off roads and Palm Tran and Tri-Rail services were halted until hound canceled service along deemed safe. Much of that some routes into Florida. depends on the condition
On the retail side, hunof roads and rail lines. Tridreds of stores in Palm Beach Rail spokeswoman Bonnie Arnold said Wednesday that the service would be closed through today, and the decision on whether to reopen this weekend will depend on the extent of damage along the corridor and to rail crossing arms.
Amtrak also suspended its service throughout the Southeast, canceling t wo routes into Miami and one to Sanford through Saturday.
The storm also affected freight movement through the state, as CSX and Florida East Coast Railway halted trains.
Robert Ledoux, FEC senior vice president and general counsel, said Wednesday the company’s freight trains could begin to move again late today or Saturday — but again, much of that depends on how much damage is done by Matthew.