Orlando, Orange County Prepare for Hurricane Matthew

Orlando will shut down all non-essential city services at noon Thursday while Orange County is still weighing options to close as Hurricane Matthew approaches.

“I want to encourage everybody to take this seriously and get prepared,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a briefing at the city's Emergency Operations Center.

At the county's emergency center, County Mayor Teresa Jacobs reminded citizens that hurricanes can be unpredictable and wreak havoc on the unprepared.

"We've been through this before," she said, recalling Hurricane Charley, the worst of three tropical storms that blew through Central Florida in 2004. "We saw when the unpredictable happened..."

Tropical winds are expected to hit the region late Thursday.

In a memo to supervisors, Jeff Charles, Orange County public works coordinator, said county storm teams "are set and readied and our chainsaws are being double-checked to ensure they run and we have plenty of chainsaw bars, replacement chains and fuel..."

County crews inspected storm water drains, canals and ponds Tuesday to make certain that rain flow would not be impeded. They also activated storm water pump stations to create additional rainwater storage for expected deluges.

Jacobs advised residents to inspect their yards and patios and remove or secure any loose items that could become an "object of destruction" if hurled by high winds.

She also urged residents of the county's 54 mobile home communities to consider evacuating their neighborhoods until the hurricane threat has passed.

"Most people will not leave their homes, but there are people who should," she said. "For those sheltering at home, it is not an unreasonable thing to expect that you could be out of electricity for up to three days."

East Orange County could feel the worst of the winds.

Experts suggest that people who try to ride out the storm at home stock up on enough food, drinking water and medicine for at least three days.

Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph decided to close all offices Thursday and Friday because of the storm. State officials announced they would waive all fees and fines ordinarily assessed for late renewals of licenses, tags and titles.

The storm will delay trash service in both Orlando and Orange County.

Garbage collection will be suspended Friday in the city and the county, but resume Saturday. Customers who usually have trash picked up on Friday will be serviced Saturday.

In Orlando, all city-operated community centers, recreation centers and non-essential city services will close Thursday at noon and stay closed Friday.

The city’s permitting department will be staffed for emergencies only.

Residents looking for a place to shelter a vehicle from the storm can park at the city garage at 150 W. Jefferson St. for free overnight Thursday.

Orlando Utilities Commission Vice President Roseann Harrington said utility crews will work as normal until wind speeds become hazardous, then will wait out the storm.

It could be 48 hours before OUC is able to estimate when power will be restored to all customers, she said.

"We ask for your patience,” Harrington said. “This is going to be a slow-moving storm. It’s going to be large and hover over us for a while. So it might be here all day Friday and we might not be able to work and get out into the field until Saturday morning.”

Source: The Orlando Sentinel