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Official's Guide to Disasters <br /> Appendix C• Emergency Ordinances for Orange County <br /> There are a number of laws that cover local emergencies and the declaration of a local <br /> emergency by a local jurisdiction. In general, North Carolina General Statute (NCGS) <br /> 166A (otherwise known as the North Carolina Emergency Management Act) provides <br /> guidance for the creation of local ordinances that cover disasters. For Orange County, <br /> Chapter 14, Sections 14-31 through 14-43 provides the following information related to <br /> local emergencies: <br /> Sec. 14-31. Restrictions authorized. <br /> (a) A state of emergency shall be deemed to exist whenever during times of public <br /> crisis, disaster, rioting, catastrophe, or similar public emergency, for any reason, public <br /> safety authorities are unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection for <br /> lives, safety, or property, or whenever the occurrence of any such condition is imminent. <br /> (b) In the event of an existing or threatened state of emergency endangering the lives, <br /> safety, health and welfare of the people within the county, or threatening damages to or <br /> destruction of property, the chair of the board of commissioners is authorized and <br /> empowered under G.S. 14-288.13 and 166A-8 to issue a public proclamation declaring <br /> to all persons the existence of such a state of emergency and in order to more <br /> effectively protect the lives and property of people within the county, to place in effect <br /> any or all of the restrictions authorized in this article. • <br /> (c) The chair is authorized and empowered to limit by the proclamation the application <br /> of all or any part of such restrictions to any area specifically designated or described <br /> within the county and to specific hours of the day or night, and to exempt from all or any <br /> part of such restrictions, while acting in the line of and within the scope of their <br /> respective duties, emergency management officials, law enforcement officers, <br /> firefighters and other public employees, rescue squad members, doctors, nurses, <br /> employees of hospitals and other medical facilities; American Red Cross volunteers and <br /> paid staff; on-duty military personnel, whether state or federal; on-duty employees of <br /> public utilities, public transportation companies, and newspaper, magazine, radio <br /> broadcasting, and television broadcasting corporations operated for profit; and such <br /> other classes of persons as may be essential to the preservation of public order and <br /> immediately necessary to serve the safety, health and welfare needs of people within <br /> the county. <br /> (Ord. of 9-18-1990(1), § 1, eff. 9-18-1990) <br /> Sec. 14-32. Proclamation imposing prohibitions and restrictions. <br /> (a) The chair of the board of commissioners by proclamation may impose the <br /> prohibitions and restrictions specified in sections 14-33--14-37 in the manner described <br /> in those sections. <br /> Appendices Page 5.6 • <br /> Version Date-April 9, 2012 <br />