Posted 03.11.2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks Update
As many of you know, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck near the coast of Japan on Friday and Tokyo Disney Resort was one of the many areas affected. Fortunately our team on the ground has reported only minor injuries and minimal property damage at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. The safety of our guests and cast members is always our first concern so both parks will remain closed on Saturday to allow for a thorough inspection of our attractions and facilities. Cast members at the Tokyo Disney Resort are also providing humanitarian aid in the form of blankets, food and water for guests who are still at the resort due to the transportation challenges associated with the earthquake.
Because of the quake’s effect on the waters of the Pacific, the Disney Wonder’s itinerary was altered slightly due to the closure of the Port of Cabo. Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, currently under construction in Ko Olina, Hawai’i, was not impacted.
Our thoughts and sympathy go out to our guests, fellow Disney cast members and all of the people in Japan affected by this terrible disaster. We’ll share any additional information today by posting updates at the top of this page.
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Japan Earthquake strands tourists at Tokyo Disneyland, damage reports coming in
Posted on March 11, 2011 by John Frost
A tragedy of giant proportions is playing out in Japan today. An 8.9 magnitude mega-earthquake has rocked the company and then the double whammy of twin tsunami’s swept across much of the country’s coast devastating villages and even threatening operations at a nuclear plant. Additional tsunami warnings are in effect for Hawaii and the west coast of the United States. Everyone please take care and head all warnings to evacuate.
Disney fans will note that the third Magic Kingdom style park ever built is in Tokyo. Reports from the Tokyo Disneyland resort indicate that the car park and Disney Sea expansion area has experienced some liquefaction causing large puddles of water to appear on roads and parking lots as much of Tokyo Disneyland expansion areas was built on landfill.
The main impact of the earthquake and tsunami was 200 miles north of the resort. Despite online reports of catastrophic damage, only minor structural damage has been reported and there were no injuries thankfully. This picture of Tokyo DisneySea shows no major damage, but very crowded common areas.
The 69,000 guests in park were evacuated to safe areas and given supplies to shelter in place over night as transportation options were affected by the quake. Twitter user Rezaikram has posted pictures of guests camped out in the common areas of the park. Among the supplies provided were “disposable heaters, plastic bags, and rain coats” according to Rezaikram.
This photo from Disney parks entertainment executive Steve Davison, responsible for many of Disney’s night shows, shows some damage to the Toyko Disneyland Resort. He also reports they’ve been allowed back into their hotel.
As I post this Hawaii is about 1 hour away from being hit by a Tsunami. So if you’re reading this in Hawaii and haven’t check to see if you should evacuate. Please do so now. All coastal areas of Hawaii are currently being evacuated due to the tsunami warning. As Disney’s new DVC resort Aulani is on the leeward side of Oahu, it is under some risk of a ‘wrap-around’ tsunami. The hotel is not occupied however, as the resort hasn’t officially opened.
All our thoughts go out to the people of Japan. Stay tuned for more updates related to Disney properties and this mega-disaster as they come in.
After making sure guests and cast members are safe, the next steps for Tokyo Disneyland Resort will be to inspect all attractions, structures, and utilities for damage. Plus, I’m sure the company will reach out to the local community to help as needed.
Update: local news in Japan is reporting that the liquefaction has ‘destroyed’ the Tokyo Disneyland parking lot. Video shows some damage and large puddles.
Update: closure tomorrow and possibly next day now confirmed by TDL park management. Also confirmed that no injuries were reported at the resort.
Update: As much of the liquefaction created flooding in the parking lot is near monorail beams, I think it’s a safe bet that mode of transportation will be down for repairs for a significant period.
Update: Just to be clear, Tokyo Disneyland was not hit by the Tsunami and is not ‘Flooding’ That picture on Twitter of a water slide with a flood under neath it is NOT from Tokyo Disney Resort. There are no such slides there. The tragic tsunami was 200 miles north. Any flooding is due to rain, pipes breaking during earthquake, and liquefaction causing ground to ‘liquify’ during the quake which results in some sinking. Since Tokyo Disneyland Resort was built on landfill, some liquefaction is to be expected.
Also, thanks to Inside The Magic for finding @davidlandsel a NY Times travel editor who was tweeting about the mood of the crowd (restrained and at times humorous) inside Tokyo Disneyland after the quake.
Guests are now being allowed to leave Tokyo Disneyland, although many have no place to go with trains not running. Checking to see if this is mandatory evacuation or voluntary. It’s voluntary. There is an unconfirmed report that around 30,000 are still inside the parks, I think that was just a number for guests inside one of the parks. The weather is in the 30s, so cast members were handing out blankets earlier.
UPDATE: Cast members now serving guests breakfast. First meal in 12 hours. Major. Kudos to Management and cast members who no doubt Have problems of their own And families to take care of at home.
Pictures: ‘Great’ earthquake strikes Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea stranding thousands of guests
by Ricky BrigantePosted on March 11, 2011
Early this morning a “great” earthquake struck Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks with an 8.9 magnitude, stranding tens of thousands of guests at the resort. From Main Street to Tomorrowland, guests are lining the park streets, waiting further instructions on how and when they can go home.
Details of damage are limited at this point but reports suggest that the Tokyo Disneyland parking structure has been flooded, as have parts of Tokyo DisneySea. There are also reports of cracked streets throughout the parks. According to The Disney Blog, the flooding appears to be as a result of liquefaction rather than rising water levels.
More than 70,000 guests are reported to have no way of leaving, which are closed for the time being. Despite the widespread damage across Japan, no injuries have been reported at Tokyo Disneyland.
Update: According to @boy33, Disney Imagineer Steve Davison in Tokyo says the parks will be closed tomorrow while everything is checked and no damage has happened to the resort’s hotel. Davison continued noting the tsunami that has caused much of the flooding throughout Japan was just 200 miles from Tokyo Disneyland, leaving the parks relatively untouched when compared to the devastation present elsewhere in the country.
One guest at Tokyo Disneyland told an Examiner reporter, “We need the train to get back to the hotel. The train is down.” She went on to elaborate, “We are stuck for a few days” at Tokyo Disneyland. She emphasized that all guests around her are safe with plenty of food and no crisis to be found.
Update: On Twitter, @rezaikram writes that as nightfall approached and temperatures dropped into the 30s, guests were still required to stay in open areas, being given “disposable heaters, plastic bags and rain coats” to stay warm. Guests are not allowed to leave the park for their safety.
Update: Live reports from New York Post Travel Editor David Landsel (@davidlandsel) suggest a bit of levity among the crowd stuck in the park. Landsel was at Tokyo DisneySea when the earthquake hit, recounting, “More than 30,000 people in park at the time. All ended up outside on the ground waiting for shaking to stop.” He reports that shaking continues on and off as the hours go by, often prompting guests to take cover close to the ground. But despite the nearly constant concern, there is merriment to be found in the park. Landsel tweeted, “Our neighbors here in the cafe are group of schoolgirls eager to practice English. Lots of laughs.” To keep everyone’s hunger at bay, Landsel reports Disney has offered them “seaweed rice and chocolates” as well as “tea and cookies.”
Update: Reports now indicate that guests are being allowed to leave the park. It is now the middle of the night and limited transportation is being made available. The monorail system is shut down with some damage reported to its beams. Some buses are apparently running.
Update: With morning arriving at Tokyo Disneyland, cast members are now serving a warm, welcome breakfast to guests. Disney has also released an official statement, noting that their Disney Wonder cruise ship remains at sea today rather than docking at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as scheduled. Disney’s under-construction Aulani resort in Hawaii was not affected by the earthquake or tsunami it produced.
Many ongoing reports from Tokyo Disneyland can be found on Twitter. It should be noted that some images depicting flooding are being incorrectly attributed to being taken at Disney’s parks (particularly one featuring a winding water slide, which is not at a Disney park), so all reports should be properly vetted before being believed. Details are limited at this point as to the status of Tokyo Disneyland’s many popular attractions, but it seems that at least the park guests are safe and calm while disaster recovery unfolds.
Reports: Tokyo Disneyland closed after earthquake
By Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel
12:52 p.m. EST, March 11, 2011
Tokyo Disneyland and TokyoSea are closed in the wake of the major earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, several websites report
The Disney Blog says that theme-park management has said the theme parks will be closed Saturday and possibly Sunday as the damage is assessed. The resort says there were no injuries.
Disney has since confirmed that through a statement from the Oriental Land Company. It reads:
"Following the earthquake that occurred today, we [OLC] have decided to suspend operations at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea on Saturday, March 12 in order to conduct inspections at all facilities. As for operations from March 13 and beyond, that has yet to be determined at this point in time. As of now, we have not confirmed any injuries among our guests or cast members."
Inside the Magic website reports that 70,000 guests were forced to stay overnight at Tokyo Disneyland. Pictures show standing water in the resort's parking area.
The theme parks are about 200 miles away from the center of damage from the 8.9-magnatude quake.
Read more at TheDisneyBlog.com and insidethemagic.net
A "meltdown" is not a technical term. Rather, it is an informal way of referring to a very serious collapse of a power plant's systems and its ability to manage temperatures. It is not immediately clear if a meltdown would cause serious radiation risk, and if it did how far the risk would extend.
Yaroslov Shtrombakh, a Russian nuclear expert, said a Chernobyl-style meltdown was unlikely.
"It's not a fast reaction like at Chernobyl," he said. "I think that everything will be contained within the grounds, and there will be no big catastrophe.".........
There is alot more to this story, I just copied the part about "meltdown".
I was wondering, the same as you.
I remmebered Chernobyl, and the China Syndrom.
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