Hurricane Idalia: Orange County added to state emergency order; what operations will be closed

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Tuesday afternoon that the county is now included in the governor’s state of emergency executive order.

The county has focused on preparing areas that flooded significantly during Ian.

In addition to the state of emergency across Florida, Demings issued a local state of emergency for the county.

Orange County is currently under a tropical storm warning, which means people could feel tropical storm-force winds late Tuesday into early Wednesday.

Read: Hurricane Idalia LIVE UPDATES

Demings said the most critical time is from midnight until noon on Wednesday, based on the winds.

Law enforcement and fire rescue crews have gone door-to-door to 6,000 mobile homes to suggest people living there should temporarily leave to go to a safer place during the storm.

Orange County Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed Tuesday at 8 p.m. and are expected to reopen on Thursday, depending on damage assessments.

Read: Hurricane Idalia: Here’s how the storm is impacting Central Florida airports

Because of the strong winds, curbside garbage, recycling, large items and yard waste collections will be canceled on Wednesday and resume on Thursday.

Residents should bring items inside or move them to a safe location.

County government and court operations will be closed on Wednesday and reopen on Thursday.

Read: Hurricane Idalia: These Central Florida school districts are closing ahead of the storm

LYNX buses will stop operations at 11 p.m. Tuesday. Officials have yet to announce when buses will resume.

Orange County Public Schools will close schools on Wednesday. Officials said students and faculty should plan on returning Thursday.

Hurricane Idalia preps 230828-N-YD641-003 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2023) Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Matthew Riggs grabs some essentials at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville Commissary, Aug. 28 prior to Tropical Storm Idalia arriving in the Jacksonville area. (U.S. Navy photo by Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Scotty Coombs/Released) (NAS Jacksonvill/Facebook)

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