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22 1 Starting on September 7, Emergency Services began closely monitoring what would become 2 Hurricane Florence. During this time, Emergency Services communicated with key response 3 partners and provided situational reporting. On September 9, Emergency Services activated the 4 Severe Weather Annex of the County's Emergency Operations Plan. The Emergency 5 Operations Center was partially activated on September 10, and the Chair of the Board of 6 Commissioners signed a State of Emergency Declaration. 7 8 On September 11, 2018, the County held a department directors meeting to discuss the 9 potential timing, intensity, and impacts of Hurricane Florence. Department directors reviewed 10 internal communications, facility vulnerability and capacity, potential alternative work sites, fuel 11 availability, and cost accounting practices. Department directors also discussed a public 12 communications strategy, vulnerable areas in the community, potential mass care sheltering, 13 and areas where residents could access cooling and electricity in the event of prolonged, 14 widespread power disruptions. The Department of Social Services in cooperation with 15 Emergency Services also began pre-storm shelter activation, and a public information line was 16 activated for residents seeking information about the storm and potential sheltering needs. 17 18 On September 12, approximately forty-eight hours before the storm's projected landfall, Orange 19 County remained in the forecast of probable impacts. The Emergency Operations Center began 20 twenty-four (24) hour activation with all emergency support functions represented. The County 21 proactively opened two no barrier, pet friendly mass care shelters at 6:00 PM at Stanford and 22 Smith Middle Schools. The shelters were staffed by the Department of Social Services, the 23 Health Department, and Animal Services. 24 25 Response Operations 26 The County suspended nonessential operations starting at 1:00 PM on Thursday, September 27 13 and for the entire day on Friday, September 14. 28 29 The County established several forms of communication for residents to remain informed and 30 diligent during the storm. Along with the public information phone line, the County set up a 31 website for storm related information and actively used social media to push messages to the 32 public. Frequently asked questions were prepared in English, Spanish, Burmese, and Karen. 33 34 A text alert system was also created. Text messages are the most reliable mode of 35 communication during power outages and corresponding internet connection disruptions. This 36 service had a total of 4,300 subscribers by the end of the storm event. A survey of 37 approximately 400 subscribers indicated that ninety-eight percent (98%) would recommend the 38 service to a friend or neighbor. 39 40 By September 14, the primary storm had shifted away from Orange County. The County 41 received some gusty winds and heavy bands of rain that largely resulted in localized power 42 outages. During this time, the two shelters were occupied by approximately two hundred 43 individuals. However, as the relatively minor impacts of the storm became clear, the shelter 44 population quickly decreased. By the time the shelters were closed on September 16, less than 45 fifteen individuals were residing in them. 46 47 The County also supported the State sponsored mass care shelter at the UNC Friday Center 48 for residents from other parts of the State that were impacted by the Hurricane. The County 49 primarily provided emergency medical service staffing to the shelter population that reached a 50 capacity of five hundred (500) individuals during the storm event.