Orange County, Fla. – Orange County Emergency Operations Center remains at a Level 2 “partial activation.” Below is a current status of operations:
Declaration of Emergency Issued: Today, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs issued a local Declaration of Emergency as a proactive emergency management protocol to position access to emergency resources that may be necessary.
Shelters: Orange County will open shelters beginning Saturday morning. Shelter locations will be announced as confirmed. They will not be announced tonight. Residents are encouraged to frequently check www.ocfl.net for the most recent information or call 311. Orange County will open Persons with Special Needs shelters, pet-friendly and general shelter populations.
Status of Hotels: Orange County Government continues to closely monitor the availability of hotel rooms in the tri-county area of Central Florida. Through the assistance of Visit Orlando, we have determined that the available hotels are near capacity. It is important to note that this situation is very fluid and small amounts of individual rooms may continue to open up due to group meetings being canceled or hotel cancelation policies being more flexible or lifted if a hurricane warning for Orlando is issued. The Visitor Information team is prepared to respond and help evacuees with frequently requested information and resources. Visitors coming to the area can reach us at:
• Call 800-972-3304
• Online with live chat at VisitOrlando.com/Hurricane
• Also check Twitter and Facebook – @VisitOrlando – for updates
Sandbags: As of 3 p.m. today, more than 66,000 sandbags have been distributed in Orange County. Due to the extreme high demand at several Orange County sandbag distribution locations, cars currently waiting to be served might not reach the service point by 7 p.m. today. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., we began asking those who have not yet joined the line to return in the morning. Our intention is to serve all residents by our closing hour of 7 p.m. in an efficient manner for efficient traffic flow and service. Distribution locations will reopen on Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. For sandbag distribution locations, please visit www.ocfl.net/sandbags. For information on Hurricane Irma, visit www.ocfl.net/Irma.
Curfew: No curfews have been issued.
Evacuations: No evacuations have been ordered in Orange County.
Garbage: If Friday is a resident’s regularly scheduled day for garbage, recycling and yard waste, and collection will occur tomorrow. Residents who need to dispose of large items that will not fit in the roll cart must schedule an appointment prior to placing the items at the curb. Please secure any loose items.
Manufactured Homes: Orange County Fire Rescue will begin going door-to-door tomorrow in in various Orange County manufactured home communities identified in the path of Hurricane Irma to ensure residents are aware of the pending forecast and encourage residents to consider alternative shelter for their safety.
Homeless: Orange County is working with homeless providers to implement a coordinated effort to ensure individuals that are homeless have access, information and transportation to safe shelter.
Hurricane Prep: Orange County Government continues to encourage residents to prepare for Hurricane Irma and to monitor and assess updates from the National Hurricane Center.
Water: Residents are reminded that tap water is an excellent option and can be stored in containers for drinking and cooking. Bath tubs are also great to hold larger amounts of water for washing and flushing toilets. Information can be found here: http://bit.ly/2xaGcTv
Communication Tools: Orange County has several tools that are available to residents during a tropical weather system. Download Orange County’s news and information apps free on Apple and Android devices, to receive emergency management communications and to stay informed before, during and after a storm, www.ocfl.net/apps.
OCFL Alert is an emergency notification and information smartphone app that provides critical information during times of emergency. Life-saving information includes open shelter locations, water and ice distribution centers, evacuation routes, public service announcements and much more
OCFL News provides you with breaking news about Orange County Government in action. Stay informed of important information and emergency news releases through push notifications.
OCFL 311 is a smartphone app that allows users to photograph, pinpoint and report any problem you may encounter before, during or after the storm. All of this can be done directly from your smartphone to Orange County’s 311 Service Center.
OC ALERT is an alert system that allows Orange County Government to contact you via email or cell phone text message during an emergency affecting Orange County.
Register free-of-charge for OCAlert, http://ocalert.net.
