Orange County mayor imposes curfew

ORANGE COUNTY Orange County will be under a curfew from 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, until 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8.

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs announced the curfew at her Hurricane Matthew media briefing at 6:30 p.m. tonight. Jacobs said this curfew will not apply to emergency personnel, life-saving personnel and people commuting to and from work.

"This curfew is intended to protect the life and safety of our citizens, and we're asking everyone to take it very seriously," Jacobs said.

Hurricane-force winds are expected to start tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. and lasting until 11 a.m., with peak winds of up to 101 mph at 7 a.m., Jacobs said. However, the area likely will experience tropical storm-force winds — from 39 to 73 mph — for as long as 23 hours, she said.

Jacobs said she is concerned particularly with mobile-home residents who have not yet evacuated. She urged those residents to seek refuge in one of the county's shelters. Currently, only one of shelter — Bithlo Park — is at capacity. Five other shelters — Odyssey Middle School, Apopka High School, Corner Lake Middle, Timber Creek High School and Barnett Park — have availability.

"There's still time, but there's not much time," she said.