Disney to Close Florida Theme Parks for Hurricane Irma

Walt Disney Co.’s Florida resort will close for two days as Hurricane Irma makes it ways toward that state. The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando will be closed on Sunday and Monday, according to a blog post at the park’s website. Also closing starting Saturday are two Disney water parks and the Burbank company’s Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom theme parks. “Resort hotels will remain open, though services and amenities will be adjusted,” the blog posting said. “We hope to resume normal operations on Tuesday, Sept. 12.” Also closing in Orlando are the Universal Studios Orlando, Sea World and Legoland Florida theme parks, and Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa Bay. Hurricane Irma is a category 4 storm expected to make landfall near Miami early Sunday and move north through the state bringing with it 150 mile per hour winds and 8 to 10 inches of rain. Irma has already devastated islands in the Caribbean. Shares of Disney (DIS) closed up 1 cent, or a fraction of a percent, to $97.07 on the New York Stock Exchange.