ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Matthew shut down business and closed Orange County roads Thursday into Friday.
One lane of northbound State Road 417 at milemarker 31 in Orlando was also flooded, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
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The mandatory curfew for Orange County will be lifted at 2 p.m. Friday, according to Orange County officials.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, more than 65,000 Orange County residents were without power, according to Duke Energy and OUC.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said that drivers headed to and from work and people traveling because of an emergency are exempt from the curfew.
“There are still a lot of reasons to stay off the road," said Mayor Jacobs in a press release. "It’s imperative that first responders and emergency personnel can dedicate full attention to emergency response and restoration for our neighbors.”
As of Friday morning, Orange County deputies arrested three people for violating curfew, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Latest models show Orange County could get winds in excess of 74 mph, with gusts up to 90 mph between late Thursday and all day Friday.
Fire rescue members went door-to-door at mobile home parks on the east side of the county encouraging residents to move to a shelter on Thursday before the outter bands hit the East Coast.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said it was all hands on deck for EMS responders who prepared for the storm.
Orlando International Airport shut down on Thursday evening as Hurricane Matthew moved through the region.
Theme Parks, including Universal Orlando shut down Thursday and some will begin opening on Saturday.
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Thursday and Friday most Central Florida schools were closed across the county.
Meanwhile, the Orlando VAMC closed all of its VA Clinics at noon on Thursday. The closures included Viera, Daytona Beach, Lake Baldwin, Lake Nona, Orange City, Clermont, Tavares, and Kissimmee. All hospitals are scheduled to reopen on Tuesday.
Veterans needing emergency medical services can go to the Orlando VAMC Urgent Care facility at 12800 Veterans Way in Lake Nona.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Matthew is a Category 4 hurricane as of 11 a.m. Thursday, packing top sustained winds up to 140 mph.
The following general population shelters in Orange County opened at 1 p.m. on Thursday:
Apopka High at 555 Martin St, Apopka, FL 32712
Corner Lake Middle at 1700 Chuluota Rd, Orlando, FL 32820
Timber Creek High School at 1001 Avalon Park S Blvd, Orlando, FL 32828
Odyssey Middle School at 9290 Lee Vista Blvd, Orlando, FL 32829
Two pet-friendly shelters are open as well:
Bithlo Community Park at 18501 Washington Ave, Orlando, FL 32820 ( FULL)
Barnett Park at 4801 W Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32808
On Thursday, people all across Orange County were stopping into their local stores and leaving shelves near empty as stores work with their distributors to restock as quickly as possible.
The Orlando Fashion Square Mall closed early Thursday at 3 p.m.
The Orlando Science Center closed Thursday at 3 p.m. and remained closed on Friday. After the storm OSC's hours may change, call 407-514-2000 to find out when the Center will be open again.
TRASH COLLECTION:
Garbage, recycling, and yard waste will not be collected in unincorporated Orange County on Friday. Friday routes will be collected on Saturday.
The City of Orlando will suspend Friday residential and commercial garbage, recycling and yard waste pick up. Those scheduled for Friday collection will be moved to Saturday for pick up.