Orange County gave an update on Hurricane Idalia and the county’s response to it today, Wednesday, August 30, at 2 p.m. at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
This morning, Hurricane Idalia made landfall at 7:45 a.m. along the coast of Florida’s Big Bend area. It intensified into a major Category 4 Hurricane, then dropped back to a Category 3 before it made landfall.
Orange County fared well during the storm, with no reported flooded roadways. There were no reported storm related deaths or major injuries.
It’s important to know that Orange County is under a wind advisory, with the possibility of wind gusts between 25-35 miles an hour.
Shelters
As of 10:30 a.m., Orange County’s general population shelters are now closed. A total of 151 individuals utilized Orange County’s general population shelters at Barnett Park and South Econ Recreation Center. Approximately 90 percent of these individuals were unhoused residents.
The county’s two special needs/medical shelters are also in the process of closing.
Garbage Collection
Orange County Utilities teams will be conducting a makeup day on Saturday, September 2, for residents in unincorporated Orange County who did not receive Wednesday curbside garbage, recycling, large item, and yard waste collections. Those with Wednesday services should follow regular curbside collection guidelines and place materials out at the curb by 6 a.m. on Saturday morning.
The Orange County landfill and transfer stations will reopen on Thursday, August 31, under regular operating hours.
County Operations
Orange County Fire Rescue: Earlier this morning, Orange County Fire Rescue Department personnel evaluated nursing homes and assisted living facilities to ensure all buildings had power after the storm. No facilities lost electricity during the storm. Fire Rescue is now back to normal operations.
Thirty specialized individuals from Fire Rescue will be deployed to the Tampa area as part of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 4. They will be charged with helping with search and recovery in the areas affected by Hurricane Idalia.
Orange County Parks & Recreation: All Orange County Parks and Recreation facilities are currently closed. This includes campgrounds, boat ramps, programs and rentals. All facilities were assessed this morning for storm damage to see if they are safe to reopen to the public tomorrow. All county campgrounds and boat ramps will reopen tomorrow, Aug. 31.
Orange County Government: Orange County Administrative offices will reopen and resume normal business operations on Thursday, August 31.
External Partners
Orange County Public Schools: Orange County Public Schools plans to resume classes on Thursday, August 31. Orange County Head Start will resume on Thursday, August 31.
LYNX: All LYNX services including fixed route and NeighborLink services have started to serve customers using a regular weekday schedule. ACCESS LYNX is only providing life-sustaining trips today. The paratransit provider will return to full service with a reservation on Thursday, Aug. 31. The LYNX Customer Service Window will be open 9 a.m. to7 p.m. to assist customers.
Courts: Regular business operations will resume on Thursday, August 31. (ninthcircuit.org) (myorangeclerk.com)
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.
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