A mum on holiday in Florida has spoken of the terrifying hours when Hurricane Irma brought devastation to the state.

As the recovery operation began, Jodie Armstrong, 29, described sheltering from the storm in her flooded, ground-floor apartment with her 18-month-old daughter Elisabeth and friend Gemma Stedman.

The group, from Carlisle, arrived at Florida's Disney Caribbean Beach Resort last Tuesday.

It was meant to be a dream holiday.

But within hours of their arrival, they were told the area was directly in the path of Irma, an Atlantic storm the size of France. It left at least 25 people dead in the Caribbean and destroyed thousands of homes, reducing entire communities to rubble.

Florida lay directly in its path as it roared northwards.

“As soon as we got here, we were told that there was a likelihood that it would hit," said Jodie.

“The locals were packing up and leaving and a lot of staff from the resort were also leaving. We weren't told a lot, to be honest.

"Yesterday, we found out that there wouldn't be a food supply for us. We had to run to downtown Disney where we managed to get some cold pizza and we've been living off that.

“Disney didn't even supply water.

“We've had to find everything ourselves.”

As the storm hit on Sunday Jodie, Elisabeth, and Gemma, 29, took refuge in their ground floor flat, fearful that Irma's feared storm surge would pour into the apartment. Around 12 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours.

Jodie said: “The fear and anticipation of it was the worst thing.

“We were quite scared.

“The wind was incredibly loud – a deafening sound; and the rain was pouring off the roofs live a river. There was about five inches of rain on the ground outside.

"The rain was so heavy the drains couldn't take it.

“We did flood but only slightly.

"There's construction going on and we were worried that the winds might pick up some of the heavier equipment.

Fortunately, we were in a courtyard and so a little bit more sheltered.

"There has been water in the taps but we were told there's a possibility it might be unsafe.

“They told us earlier to fill up the bath and use that.”

Jodie said Disney had offered little support, other than a few phone calls and advice to stay indoors and sit out the storm. Other than that, she said, there was precious little information from the company.

Most of what they knew came from TV news bulletins. It was only as the day wore on yesterday that the extent of the damage outside gradually became clear.

Jodie said: “It looks as if there are trees down.

“We've been getting mixed messages. Some staff told us not to worry but others were worried and said they were leaving. They went on Sunday. The hardest part has been not knowing what will happen.”

To add to their frustration, the authorities had imposed a mandatory curfew, with only emergency crews and hospital workers allowed on the streets after 6pm. A text message from resort bosses told Jodie: “For your safety, please remain in your room at this time

“Housekeeping services and in-room delivery remain unavailable. Theme parks and Disney Springs remain closed.”

Despite the ordeal, Jodie said that she will stay on in Florida with her daughter and Gemma to enjoy what remains of their holiday.

Another Cumbrian family were also caught up in the destruction wrought by Hurricane Irma.

Kirkby Stephen architect Ian Smart has been battling to help his son Jos, 26, and his girlfriend Julia Taylor, 30, who are stranded on the island of St Maarten.

Part of the British Virgin Islands, it bore the full force of the storm, with the destruction compounded by looting and a lack of basic supplies.

Jos – a professional yatch skipper – and Julia have been hiding in their hotel room for five days and say they have had no direct support from the Foreign Office – though the family is being helped by Penrith and Border MP Rory Stewart.

“We're all concerned for them,” said Ian.

“They've been holed up for five days and have been told to keep their heads down. They've not had water since Thursday though they have a bit of juice. There's no electricity and it gets dark at 6pm.

“”They're constantly fearing that someone will break the door down. The big problem is getting to the airport. The reports we're getting are that if you are not American or Dutch you're chucked out of the queue.

“Rory Stewart is the only person who has contacted me.”