§ 17-71. State of emergency; restrictions authorized.

(a)

A state of emergency shall be deemed to exist whenever during time of public crisis, disaster, rioting, catastrophe or similar public emergency, for any reason, public safety authorities are unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protections for lives, safety or property, or whenever the occurrence of any such condition is imminent.

(b)

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 threatening damages to or destruction of property, the chairman of the board of county commissioners is authorized and empowered under G.S. 14-288.13 and 166A-8 to issue a public proclamation declaring 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.

(c)

The chairman is authorized and empowered to limit by the proclamation the application of all or any part of such restrictions to any area specifically designed or described within the county and to specific hours of the day or night, and 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 the people within the county.

(d)

Upon declaration of a state of emergency and for the duration of such proclamation, all employees of the county shall be designated and recognized as emergency personnel.

(Code 1978, § 6.7-16)