scottobear | 7856 - Hurricane Wilma Advisory #28 (Reply)

Curfew in Effect; Airport to Open Tomorrow (via broward.org)

Broward County is under a curfew effective from Thursday at 7 p.m. until Friday at 7 a.m. All residents and businesses are expected to observe curfew laws. Exemptions to curfew include essential personnel such as law enforcement, fire-rescue, hospital or other healthcare workers, emergency management, and others involved in recovery efforts. Those personnel should carry identification with them.

The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will open on Thursday and will operate within the confines of the countywide curfew. This means that the airport will open to passengers at 7 a.m. to coincide with the lifting of the curfew. The first arrivals will begin at 8 a.m. The first departures will take place at 9 a.m. Airport operations will continue throughout the day until an hour prior to the curfew’s institution tomorrow night. A curfew is expected to begin on Thursday at 11 p.m. effective until Friday at 6 a.m. Each following day’s schedule will be adjusted according to curfew constraints. Travelers should confirm flight schedules with their airlines. Passengers without tickets or reservations should NOT go to the airport.

At Port Everglades, generators are being used to pump fuel from the ground to tanker trucks to be delivered to area gas stations. Port Everglades remains closed to vessel traffic at this time due to power outages. Additional details on the status of Port Everglades will be provided as they are available.

The Florida Department of Health’s Broward County Health Department has lifted the boil water order for customers that are serviced by Deerfield Beach and Cooper City. In addition, the boil water order was lifted earlier today for: City of Coral Springs, Coral Springs Water Improvement District, North Springs Water Improvement District, City of Hallandale Beach, City of Margate, City of Pompano Beach, City of Pembroke Pines and Town of Davie. Lauderhill is not under a boil water order, except for the recently annexed communities of West Ken Lark and St. George. All other communities in Broward County remain under a boil water order.

It is important to note that water system boundaries do not always correspond to city boundaries. Residents who are uncertain of their water service provider should check their water bill or call their city.

A complete list of ice and water distribution sites is available online at www.broward.org/hurricane. A list of locations where hot meals will be provided tomorrow by the Salvation Army is also online.

An estimated 838,100 customers in Broward County are still without power. Power has been restored to nearly 25,000 customers. Residents should not call to report a power outage; however, they should report downed power lines by calling 800-4OUTAGE.

Residents can report price gouging following Hurricane Wilma by calling 866-NO-SCAM.

U.S. postal service is expected to resume as usual throughout Broward County on Thursday.

Normal Broward County government operations remain closed on Thursday. Broward County employees should call their supervisor or the hurricane hotline at 954-831-4000 with any questions.

Broward County bus service is suspended until further notice as conditions remain dangerous due to road debris and widespread power outages. Broward County public schools remain closed through Friday.

Volunteers are needed for a variety of storm-related duties, including the distribution of ice and water. To volunteer, call Volunteer Broward at 954-522-6761, or register in person at the United Way, 1300 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Efforts will be made to assign volunteers to a location close to home.

For additional information, contact the Broward County Hurricane Hotline at 954-831-4000.