A DORSET couple holidaying in Florida have told of the fear they felt as they took refuge from the wrath of deadly Hurricane Milton.

Alison and Martin Weller, from Weymouth, said the windows of their eight-storey hotel in Kissimmee, just south of Orlando, were ‘rattling and shaking’ as the Category 3 storm hit, leaving a devastating trail of destruction.

The couple, who flew out last Saturday, have been living under curfew at their hotel as they try to keep safe.

Alison said: “The hotel has been absolutely full as many people came in from the west coast, where it was really bad. There were RVs and boats on trailers in the car park of our hotel that had people had brought here away from the coast.

“There were lots of tornadoes, some of which were near us, but thankfully we stayed safe. Some lives were lost in the tornadoes, unfortunately.

“We are in an eight-storey hotel, so the wind whistling around sounded quite scary.

“Despite us being in a concrete building, the windows were rattling so badly we were told to pull the blackout blinds and stay away from the windows and if we needed to evacuate we would be told through the fire alarm system.

“We were also under curfew from 8pm until 9am -not  at all what we expected to experience while on holiday and very scary.”

So far, Hurricane Milton has claimed 16 lives and caused widespread destruction.

Alison and Martin were already in Florida when they heard about the storm’s imminent arrival and its severity.

“We felt really scared and anxious when we heard it was going to be a Category 5, as that’s the highest,” said Alison.

“Our daughter was already here, and had been for nearly four weeks, so she experienced Hurricane Helene too.”

“Thankfully the hotel staff were very reassuring.”

Speaking of the storm’s aftermath, Alison said: “There are lots of trees are down and there is debris everywhere.

“Our car park was full of trucks ready to go out and fix broken power lines and traffic lights as soon as it was over.

“All the theme parks, including Disney, are still closed to clear up the mess.”

The couple said they realise how lucky they are, and are looking to make the most of what little time they have left of their holiday.

 “Many suffered flooding and damage to their properties,” said Alison. “We know we are lucky. We just want to see our daughter and enjoy what time we have left.”