<div class="chunk-title">Sec. 22-53. - Restrictions authorized.</div>
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               (a)
               
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               A state of emergency shall be deemed to exist whenever during times of public crisis,
               emergency, rioting, catastrophe, or similar public emergency, for any reason, public
               safety authorities are unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection
               for lives, safety or property, or whenever the occurrence of any such condition is
               imminent.
               
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               (b)
               
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               In the event of an existing or threatened state of emergency endangering the lives,
               safety, health and welfare of the people within the county or any part thereof, or
               threatening damages to or destruction of property, the chairman of the board of commissioners
               is hereby authorized and empowered under G.S. 14-288.13 and G.S. 166A-19.22 to issue
               a public declaration to all persons the existence of such a state of emergency, and,
               in order to more effectively protect the lives and property of people within the county,
               to place in effect any or all of the restrictions authorized in this article.
               
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               (c)
               
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               The chairman is hereby authorized and empowered to limit by the declaration the application
               of all or any part of such restrictions to any area specifically designated or described
               within the county and to specific hours of the day or night; to exempt from all or
               any part of such restrictions, while acting in the line of and within the scope of
               their respective duties, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other public employees,
               rescue squad members, doctors, nurses, employees of hospitals and other medical facilities;
               on-duty military personnel, whether state or federal; on-duty employees of public
               utilities, public transportation companies, and newspaper, magazine, radio broadcasting,
               and television broadcasting corporations operated for profit; and such other classes
               of persons as may be essential to the preservation of public order and immediately
               necessary to serve the safety, health, and welfare needs of people within the county.
               
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            <p class="historynote0">
               (Ord. of 1-15-90, Â§ 1; Ord. No. 2016-42, 10-17-16)
               
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