Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings gave the third and final news conference on Hurricane Helene and the county’s storm response today, Friday, September 27, at the Orange County Administration Building in Orlando.
Watch the full news conference on YouTube or Vimeo.
Recovery info
Early this morning, Orange County Fire Rescue crews canvassed neighborhoods across the county to evaluate damage. While they encountered downed trees and power lines in various areas, no significant damage was found. Flooding was minimal, and there were no major structural impacts. Other County departments have reported similar findings, with minimal damage observed.
Downed power lines:
NEVER touch, approach, or drive over downed lines
Consider all downed lines as live
Report downed lines by dialing 9-1-1
Downed trees:
Report downed trees in unincorporated Orange County by dialing 3-1-1 or 407-836-3111.
Orange County’s Emergency Operation Center has been reduced to Level 3 as of 3 p.m. This will be the last update regarding Hurricane Helene. Thank you to Orange County residents for staying prepared before, during and after the storm.
Garbage collection
Customers who did not receive garbage, recycling, yard waste, and large item collection in unincorporated Orange County on Thursday will be serviced on Saturday. Residents need to have their materials out at the curb by 6 a.m.
Since there may be extra yard waste generated because of the storm, residents are reminded that the weekly collection for yard waste is limited to three cubic yards (about the size of three stoves). Additionally, each can, bag, and bundle must be 60 pounds or less, and limbs must be three feet long or less and tied securely with string.
Updates are available online at OCFL.net/UtilitiesStormInfo.
Restoring power
Electric companies across the County are restoring power to homes and businesses experiencing outages. When possible, report outages to your electric provider in Orange County.
Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC): 407-423-9018
Duke Energy: 800-228-8485
Winter Park Utility: 877-811-8700
Assisting counties
Utilities: A field services crew of 14, including electricians, mechanics, and technicians, left this morning with 13 generators to assist impacted areas in north Florida. The team will be based out of Tallahassee and assist with pump station repairs for critical wastewater services.
Fire rescue: A total of 25 fire rescue personnel have been dispatched across Florida. The state’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force 4, which includes several Orange County firefighters, received orders to deploy early this morning. The team is currently in Sarasota County assisting with water rescue efforts and evacuations.
The Apopka Chief and The Planter are weekly community newspapers, independently owned and family operated, that have served the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923 and 1965 respectively.
Follow The Apopka Chief on Facebook.
Follow The Apopka Chief on X.
Follow The Apopka Chief on Instagram.