Aug 18, 2008 2:50 pm US/Eastern
T.S. Fay: Closings Hitting Broward County
Broward County Schools closed on Monday and Tuesday
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
Parts of Broward County are closing down and the Coast Guard will be stopping new ship arrivals at noon in preparation for Tropical Storm Fay, and the Broward Emergency Operations Center has been fully activated as of 7 a.m. Monday morning.
Emergency support staff is already at the center, answering to residents' concerns. A decision on opening shelters for special needs will be made after the 11 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
The EOC is now operating at Level 2, which means it has gone from a monitoring phase to a partial activation mode. The County's 311 information hotline is up and running to answer any questions that residents may have. From 10 p.m. Sunday to 2 p.m. Monday the hotline received more than 10,000 calls.
In addition to stopping new ship arrivals at noon today, all ships in port must sail by 5:00 p.m. today.
Broward County schools will not begin their first day of school on Monday or Tuesday. Both teachers and administrative staff will be off on Tuesday, with only emergency personnel asked to report to work.
All Catholic schools in Broward County are also closed.
Broward County Community College will release their students at 6 p.m. Monday and all classes have been canceled for Tuesday.
Broward County transit will continue normal operations through Monday, depending on weather conditions. If there are any changes, immediate announcements will be made.
As of Monday at 11 A.M., tolls have been suspended on Florida's Turnpike northbound and southbound, from the Keys to the Boynton Beach Blvd. interchange in Palm Beach Count. They are also suspended on I-75 eastbound and westbound, and the Rickenbacker and Venetian causeways in Miami-Dade County
The County Government offices, including the Clerk of Courts, Public Defender's Office, State Attorney's Office, and the judiciary, will close at noon on Monday and will remain closed on Tuesday. County employees should report to work Monday morning. Florida Atlantic will remain closed on Tuesday.
For updates, they can call the information hotline at (954) 831-8589. The court system will remain open. County garbage collection will be open Monday. City pick-up will be determined by the local governments.
Broward County parks will close at noon on Monday. Libraries will not open on Monday, neither will animal care shelters in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Determinations on when normal business operations will resume will be made pending weather conditions.
All 17 early voting locations will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
The City of Plantation also announced it will close its offices for regular business effective at 1:00 p.m. Monday, however the city's Emergency Operations Center will not be activated.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is working on normal schedules. As the storm approaches, travelers are encouraged to contact their cruise lines and airlines to check for any changes.
Broward County residents with questions can contact workers through the Hurricane Hotline. The phone number is (954) 831-4000. You can also simply dial 311.
Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti recommends all residents be prepared for difficult traffic conditions following the storm. If possible, avoid driving until traffic signals are working properly. If a road does not have a sign or traffic light, treat it as a 4-way stop.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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