USGatorland CEO on Hurricane Dorian: If a gator is sitting in your pool, “it ain't one of ours”

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ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - 2019/09/01: People leave Gatorland following a rain shower as Hurricane Dorian approaches. The Category 5 storm is expected to come dangerously close to the Florida coast as early as tomorrow night. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Residents watch 9-foot swells generated by Hurricane Dorian as they slam into the jetty at Lighthouse Point Park in Ponce Inlet, Fla., Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. Dorian is forecast to move north off the east coast of Florida.

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Visitors watch as waves crash onto the beach before a mandatory evacuation order goes into effect as Hurricane Dorian continues to make its way toward the Florida coast on September 2, 2019 in Indialantic, Florida. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) *FOR USE WITH THIS STORY ONLY*

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Owner C.B. Yadav stands outside his Cumberland Inn & Suites hotel as employees board up the windows in preparation for Hurricane Dorian on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in St. Mary's. Mandatory evacuation has been issued for the area east of Interstate 95 but the hotel is staying open for employees and emergency workers.

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Gas pumps are wrapped in plastic in preparation for Hurricane Dorian which continues to make its way toward the Florida coast on September 2, 2019 in Indialantic, Florida. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) *FOR USE WITH THIS STORY ONLY*

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Waves crash onto Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County as Hurricane Dorian poses an increasing threat to Florida's Treasure Coast on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019.

ORLANDO, Fla. — If you are wandering around Central Florida after Hurricane Dorian passes and come across an alligator, it didn’t come from Gatorland.

Dorian strikes Bahamas with record fury as Category 5 storm

McLEAN'S TOWN CAY, Bahamas (AP) — Hurricane Dorian struck the northern Bahamas as a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sunday, its record 185 mph (297 kph) winds ripping off roofs, overturning cars and tearing down power lines as hundreds hunkered down in schools, churches and shelters. Dorian slammed into Elbow Cay in Abaco island at 12:40 p.m., and then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour at 2 p.m., after authorities made last-minute pleas for those in low-lying areas to evacuate. "It's devastating," said Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. "There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure. Luckily, no loss of life reported.

The attraction’s CEO Mark McHugh posted a video on Aug. 31 on Facebook that assured area residents TWITTER Mark McHugh is shown at Gatorland , a theme park and wildlife preserve south of “Rest assured, if you see an alligator swimming down your street or sitting in your pool , it ain ’ t

It is unclear how many of these delays and cancellations were directly related to Dorian Gatorland in Orlando posted a video on Facebook telling the public how they're preparing for Hurricane Dorian . "Rest assured, if you see an alligator swimming down your street or sitting in your pool , it ain ' t one

The attraction’s CEO Mark McHugh posted a video Saturday on Facebook that assured area residents that the park has been working to secure their animals — which include hundreds of birds, some bobcats and panthers — in anticipation of the approaching storm.

The video had racked up more than 46,000 views since it was posted early Saturday evening.

“Rest assured, if you see an alligator swimming down your street or sitting in your pool, it ain’t one of ours,” McHugh says in the video on the company’s Facebook page, which has more than 200,000 likes.

The park’s alligators will likely ride out any storm that comes through Central Florida under water, with an occasional trip to the surface to grab some air.

Lessons of the past inform care for elderly residents as Hurricane Dorian approaches Florida

After Hurricane Irma, the failure to evacuate or have backup power led to calamity at a Florida nursing home.

It is unclear how many of these delays and cancellations were directly related to Dorian , but many of the Florida's Gatorland says people don't need to worry about gators getting out during storm. "Rest assured, if you see an alligator swimming down your street or sitting in your pool , it ain ' t one

The CEO and president of Gatorland posted a video on Facebook on Saturday explaining how the park is preparing for Hurricane Dorian . "If you see an alligator swimming down your street or sitting in your pool , it ain ' t one of ours ," McHugh said.

Meanwhile, park staff will stay at Gatorlando during the storm, ready to assess and repair damage to the park once winds drop below tropical-storm levels.

As for the gators, these storms are nothing new for them, McHugh said in the video.

“They have been around for 75 million years,” he said. “It ain’t their first rodeo with a nasty storm.”

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