(A) A state of emergency shall be deemed to exist whenever, during times of great public crisis, disaster, rioting, catastrophe, or similar public emergency, for any reason municipal public safety authorities are unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection for lives, safety, or property.
(B) In the event of an existing or threatened state of emergency endangering the lives, safety, health, and welfare of the people within the town, or threatening damage to or destruction of property, the Mayor is hereby authorized and empowered to issue a public proclamation declaring to all persons the existence of such a state of emergency, and to impose prohibitions and restrictions during a state of emergency as outlined in G.S. § 14-288.12. In order more effectively to protect the lives, safety, and property of people within the town, the Mayor is also authorized to define and impose a curfew applicable to all persons within the jurisdiction of the town.
(1) The Mayor is authorized and empowered to limit the application of such a curfew to any area specifically designated and described within the corporate limits of the town and to specific hours of the day or night. He may exempt from the curfew police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, 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 town.
(2) The Mayor shall proclaim the end of such state and curfew as soon as circumstances warrant or when directed to do so by the Board of Commissioners.
(C) During the existence of a proclaimed state of emergency when a curfew has been imposed, it shall be unlawful for anyone subject to the curfew to do the following:
(1) Be or travel upon any public street, alley, or roadway or upon public property, unless in search of medical assistance, food, or other commodity or service necessary to sustain the we11-being of himself or his family or some member thereof;
(2) Possess off one's own premises, buy, sell, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of any explosives, firearms, ammunition, or dangerous weapon of any kind;
(3) Sell beer, wines, or intoxicating beverages of any kind; possess or consume the same off one's own premises;
(4) Sell gasoline or any other similar petroleum products, or any other inflammable substance, except as expressly authorized by the provisions of the curfew imposed.
(Ord., passed 11-19-71) Penalty, see § 93.99
Editor’s note:
G.S. § 14-288.12 was repealed by S.L. 2012-12, s. 2(e), effective October 1, 2012.