OC EMS Team deployed to assist with Hurricane Florence

A team from Oconee County Emergency Management Services (EMS) has been deployed to assist with Hurricane Florence, tells Oconee County Fire Chief Charlie King. “Oconee County has deployed a four person swift water flood rescue group that has partnered with Anderson County to create a specialty strike team. They left the area last night and are in the Sumter area where they will ride out the storm in a shelter and then move forward to start performing rescues in supporting fire departments and communities immediately after the storm passes. We made the decision to send just a small group so that we didn’t deplete local resources because there is still a pretty large unknown lingering over the area about the impacts will be here at home. So, while we do have other requests for assistance along the coast we have made the decision to hold what we have until we completely understand the impacts on our area here.” Chief King is encouraging residents to prepare now for the storm and possible power outages. “We certainly encourage everybody to prepare themselves and their families at home first because the more that they can do at home that certainly helps take the burden off the community as much as possible. So, we urge folks to have a plan, have a kit of safety equipment, a reservoir of some food and water that they are able to get to and to have a contingency plan should the power be out for a long period of time. While we know our utility companies work extremely hard when events like this happen but just with the amount of damage that is expected that power could be out for a long time. Anybody that needs help creating that plan for safety and preparedness or a kit, we encourage them to visit www.ready.gov or to go to the app store or play store on their mobile device and look up South Carolina Emergency Management. They have an app that is just incredible to lead folks in the right direction to make sure they’re ready for any type of event that comes.” Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and vehicles.