Floridians hope Dorian’s economic impact will be temporary

Hurricane Dorian is losing strength as it churns closer to the Florida coast, and that’s bringing some cautious relief to the state’s big tourism industry.

By midday Tuesday, Dorian had been downgraded to a category 2 hurricane, and forecasts were lessening the threat of a direct hit on Florida.

Still, more than 2 million people in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas were warned to evacuate. Parts of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, closed early on Tuesday. The Orlando airport shut down, accounting for nearly half the 1,800 U.S. flights that had been cancelled by mid-afternoon in the East.

Sean Snaith, an economic forecaster at the University of Central Florida, says the temporary shutdowns will have some effect, but they shouldn’t cause significant harm to jobs or the local economy.

David Koenig, The Associated Press