CRESTVIEW — In preparation for the potential hazardous weather, the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners scheduled a special meeting at 9 a.m. today at the Emergency Operations Center at Northwest Florida State College, Niceville.
Okaloosa County is under a hurricane watch. Citizens are encouraged to stay tuned to local news and radio for updates. You can also follow Public Safety on Facebook, Twitter and visit www.okaloosafl.com.
Area events being cancelled or rescheduled for the weekend of Oct. 4-6 are listed below. If you have announcements that need to be posted here, email news@crestviewbulletin.com.
•Hurlburt Field 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field: Questions or concerns should be directed to the Public Affairs Office, 884-7464. See the hurricane information section of the Hurlburt website or the wing's official Facebook page for status updates. Personnel can also call the Air Force Personnel Center 24-hour information line at 1-800-435-9941.
Base officials initiated Hurricane Condition 2 at 10 p.m. Thursday to prepare for the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Karen. Hurricane Condition 2 is a level of warning used by the Air Force to assist commanders in preparing their units for storm response actions. At this time mandatory evacuation of base personnel is not anticipated. Hurlburt Field members and their families who decide to voluntarily evacuate the local area before mandatory evacuation protocols are initiated will not be reimbursed travel costs.
All military and Department of Defense civilian members assigned to Hurlburt Field are advised to stay in contact with their Unit Control Centers and to monitor local radio and television weather reports.
Community members seeking shelter should contact the Okaloosa County Emergency Operations Center at 850-651-7150 or visit the Okaloosa county official website for a list of local shelters. Citizens Information Line is 311 (within Okaloosa County), and 850-609-7000 outside Okaloosa.
•Friends of the Crestview Library cancelled the Sunday Oct. 6 portion of the library book sale this weekend due to the hurricane watch, and extended it to the following weekend.
Early bird sale is 5-8 p.m. Oct. 4; non-Friends members pay $2 admission. Main sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 5, free admission. People who join the Friends of the Crestview Library get $4 off their book sale purchase. All money goes to support the library and fund new books, children’s programs and special projects. Details: 682-4432.The sale continues 5-8 p.m. Oct. 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12 and 13 of next week at the library, 1445 Commerce Drive, Crestview.
•Compass Rose – Afternoon On the Bayou is 2-4 p.m. Nov. 2, Compass Rose restaurant, 303 Glen Ave., Valparaiso. It was originally scheduled for Oct. 5. The fundraiser for the Heritage Museum features food, wine, a silent auction, and Native American flute music by local musician Terri D. Tickets cost $20, or $15 for museum members. Purchase at the Heritage Museum website, Compass Rose or the museum, 415 Westview Ave., Valparaiso, 678-2615.
•Explore the Outdoors Festival is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 2 at Live Oak Landing Outdoor Destination, 229 Pitts Ave., Freeport. It was originally scheduled for Oct. 5.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hurricane watch, event announcements for Oct. 4-6