More OC Residents using Cell Phones

Landline telephones are becoming outdated in Oconee County. As the guest speaker of this month’s Seneca Rotary Club meeting, Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw told those in attendance that the county’s 911 Dispatch Center is now receiving more calls from cell phones than ever before. “We saw about 82% of our 911 calls come in last year from cell phones. That is up from about 75-80% the year before, so we are seeing more and more folks going to a cell phone as their primary means of communication.” With more people using cell phones as their primary means of communication, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications/E-911 Division, in partnership with Oconee County Emergency Services and Everbridge, Inc., has instituted a regional notification system to send telephone notifications to residents and businesses within Oconee County impacted by, or in danger of being impacted by, an emergency or disaster. This system, called Alert Oconee, is used by emergency personnel to notify those homes and businesses at risk with information on the event. To register for Alert Oconee visit the Sheriff’s Office website at www.oconeelaw.com.