(a) Definitions.
(1) “Civil emergency” means:
A. A tumult, riot, mob or body of people acting together with the intent to commit or facilitate the commission of a felony or a misdemeanor, or to do, or offer violence, to person or property, or by force and violence to break or resist the law.
B. Any natural disaster or man made calamity, including flood, conflagration, cyclone, tornado, blizzard, earthquake or explosion within the corporate limits of the Village of Columbus Grove, Ohio, resulting in the death or injuries of persons or the destruction of property, or which substantially impairs the functioning of the Village government to such an extent that extraordinary measures must be taken to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
(2) “Curfew” means a prohibition against any person or persons walking, running, loitering, standing or motoring upon any alley, street, highway, public property or vacant premises within the corporate limits of the Village of Columbus Grove, Ohio, excepting persons officially designated to duty with reference to said civil emergency.
(b) When there is, in the opinion of the Mayor, a civil emergency as defined herein, or a reasonable apprehension thereof, he is authorized and directed to forthwith proclaim in writing, the existence of such civil emergency by all reasonable means available to him, including but not limited to the publication of said proclamation by use of the newspapers, radio and television facilities available in an area within fifteen miles of the Village of Columbus Grove, Ohio, and to impose by proclamation any or all of the following regulations necessary to preserve the peace and order of the Village:
(1) To impose a curfew upon all or any portion of the Village thereby requiring all persons in such designated curfew areas to forthwith remove themselves from the public streets, alleys, parks or other public places; provided, however, that Councilmen, physicians, nurses and ambulance operators performing medical services, utility personnel maintaining essential public services, firemen and Village authorized or requested law enforcement officers and personnel may be exempt from such curfew.
(2) To order the closing of any business establishments anywhere within the Village for the period of emergency, such businesses to include, but not to be limited to, those selling intoxicating liquors, malt beverages, gasoline or firearms.
(3) To designate any public street, thoroughfare or vehicle parking area closed to motor vehicles and pedestrian traffic.
(4) To call upon regular and auxiliary law enforcement agencies and organizations within or without the Village to assist in preserving and keeping the peace within the Village.
(c) The proclamation of emergency provided herein shall become effective upon its issuance and dissemination to the public by appropriate news media.
(d) Any emergency proclaimed in accordance with the provisions of this section shall terminate after forty-eight hours from the issuance thereof, or upon the issuance of a proclamation determining an emergency no longer exists, whichever occurs first; provided, however, that such emergency may be extended for such additional periods of time as determined necessary by the Mayor.
(e) Any person who shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with the orders of duly authorized law enforcement officers or personnel charged with the responsibility of enforcing the proclamation of emergency authorized herein, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or by imprisonment in jail for a period of not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(Ord. 1968-15. Passed 12-23-68.)