Scots dad-of-three 'put on brave face' as Hurricane Milton hit Florida holiday

A dad-of-three has told how he put on a “brave face” for his family as Hurricane Milton hit Florida during their holiday.

Ally Cliff flew out to the US with his wife and three kids on September 25, and is still unsure about when they will be able to fly home.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday evening, bringing tornadoes, causing an unknown number of deaths and leaving millions without power.

As a result, thousands of UK holidaymakers had their flights to and from Florida disrupted. It is expected that flights will take days to resume to normal.

Nasa astronaut Matthew Dominick captured a birds-eye view of Hurricane Milton as it barrels towards Florida. NASA

Mr Cliff, who is currently in Orange County, told STV News that he was out getting supplies with his family on Wednesday when a tornado warning came into place telling people to seek shelter “immediately”.

“It was relatively calm to begin with, but yesterday afternoon, there were tornados all around us,” he said.

“We were out trying to get supplies and a tornado warning came over the radio to seek shelter immediately, so we had to quickly go back to the hotel and hide in a basement until the tornado passed over.”

On the evening when the worst of the storm was set to batter parts of the state, Mr Cliff said the winds were “extremely strong” with torrential rain and flash floods a concern for the area they were staying in.

The dad-of-three said he had an “extreme sense of relief” on Thursday morning when he realised the damage hadn’t been as bad as initially feared.

“I’m here with my wife and three kids, so I had to put a brave face on for the kids because it’s been all over the news and people have been talking about it my oldest getting concerned an scared,” he said.

Mr Cliff said his family is due to fly home on Friday but is still waiting on confirmation.

Nicola Mearns flew out to Orlando with her husband and stepson on October 6 but had “no idea what to expect” when they were told about the incoming hurricane.

Mrs Mearns, who is currently at Walt Disney’s Pop Century Resort at Disney World, said they were warned about the hurricane on their first day, but no one was sure of its extent.

As the worst of the hurricane hit Florida, she said she was unable to sleep due to the clattering of trees and rain.

“Our hotel is covered in trees outside so I could hear them clattering together during the night with the wind and the rain – it was pretty scary last night.”

Mrs Mearns said she had spoke to a few families who were thinking of leaving but was reassured by cast members who said they were in the “safest place” and that the resort was “prepared”.

The family is staying put in their rooms until they are told otherwise after stocking up on supplies in preparation.

“We think the worst has passed, we’re still being told to stay in our rooms as of now, there are people out there but we’re just staying put,” Mrs Mearns said.

“Our hearts are going out to everyone affected, we’re safe in our room here, but there’s people that have lost their houses, the devastation is so sad.”