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Louise Thomas
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A mother of four has sparked outrage after she documented her trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, as Hurricane Milton was making its arrival in Florida.
In a since-deleted TikTok video, influencer Cecily Bauchmann was packing for her family’s trip to Florida. Her video came as the state was expected to be hit by Hurricane Milton, with its intensity continuing to fluctuate from a Category 4 to a Category 5 hurricane. In preparation for the event, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld closed its theme parks and respective entertainment facilities on October 9, with the latter two also closed on October 10. Disney will likely remain closed until at least Sunday, October 13.
Before Walt Disney World made its announcement, Bauchmann shared her now-viral video, which began with her husband first telling her that she had an hour to pack for her flight to Florida. In the deleted footage, which has been reposted by a TikTok user, she continued to film herself packing her daughter’s suitcase before she packed her own makeup bag and her luggage.
The video ended with Bauchmann standing next to three suitcases, as she told her followers: “We will see you at the airport. Love you. Bye.”
Since then, she hasn’t posted an update about her trip to Florida, or whether she rescheduled her Disney World plans amid the expected dangerous weather conditions.
In the repost of Bauchmann’s packing video, a TikToker criticized the influencer for posting about taking her trip as Hurricane Milton was about to hit. “This lady’s heading to Disney knowing a category five hurricane is on the way,” they wrote. “The lights are on but no one’s home.”
In the comments, multiple people accused Bauchmann of being “out of touch” by taking her trip to Florida. They also questioned why the influencer and her family didn’t reschedule their plans.
“The fact that there’s zero consideration for those workers and she has the expectation of them still working during a hurricane!?” one wrote.
“This seems like a family that would be able to afford a reschedule. Like it’s not even a ‘we are going to Florida for this once in a lifetime event,’” another wrote.
A third person added: “My husband and I were supposed to go but we postponed it to next year because we are not risking that.”
Other people went on to question if Bauchmann was taking a trip before the hurricane just for the sake of her brand.
“At what point are some influencers just toxic,” one person wrote in their TikTok video. “Like Cecily, this would be an easy call to make for me though - it’s not hard to reschedule.
“Exactly and as someone who lives 10 min away from Disney, we don’t need extra ppl here just for CONTENT. We’re busy helping our coastal neighbors with evacuations,” another person commented on the video.
According to Disney World’s official website, if a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area seven days before travelers’ arrival, guests “may reschedule or cancel your Walt Disney Travel Company Disney Resort hotel packages and most room-only reservations (booked directly with Disney) without any cancellation or change fees imposed by Disney.”
Bauchmann has previously sparked controversy on social media. In July, she was criticized for giving her three other children the opportunity to blow out candles on her daughter’s birthday. At the time, viewers claimed that the mother was “ruining” her daughter’s day by letting her siblings participate in the special moment of blowing out birthday candles. Multiple people also claimed that Bauchmann’s 11-year-old daughter looked visibly upset when her three siblings blew out the candles.
However, other people came to the parent’s defense, noting that viewers shouldn’t be so quick to criticize the family based on the situation. They also claimed that it was common for other children to blow out candles on their friend’s birthday.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Bauchmann for comment.
Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Milton have received a last-ditch emergency alert to “GET OUT NOW” ahead of the storm making landfall on Wednesday evening. The National Hurricane Center also predicts the event will be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.” The storm has continued to grow in size and winds are expected to pick up on Florida’s west coast this afternoon, the NHC warned.
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