OC Sheriff’s Office preparing for Hurricane Florence

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is preparing for continued normal and routine law enforcement operations as the remnants of Hurricane Florence are scheduled to affect the Golden Corner this weekend. “The Sheriff’s Office has been participating in meetings with our partners in Emergency Services, Oconee County Government and various agencies and organizations in regards to the possible effects from Florence this weekend,” says Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw. “As always, our normal and routine law enforcement operations go on as scheduled, regardless of the weather conditions. Our dispatch will be fully staffed as normal and we will have additional dispatchers on stand-by should they be needed. We will also have additional officers on stand-by as well but the bottom line is should our citizens need assistance, we stand ready to accept those calls for service.” The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office also has several four-wheel drive vehicles that are used by deputies from various divisions for those normal and routine operations, according to Sheriff Crenshaw. Plus, the Sheriff’s Office also has access to ATV’s that are used during Special Operations and those vehicles are at the ready as well. “The latest forecast is calling for several inches of rain over the course of the event and some gusty winds on Sunday. Now is the time to prepare yourself for the possibility of power outages and maybe some flooding in some areas. A lot will depend on the track of the storm of course,” continues Sheriff Crenshaw. Citizens should not hesitate to call the 911 center in the event of an emergency. For power outages, residents should call the number for their provider of service and not the emergency operations center. There is currently no emergency or evacuation shelters open in Oconee County; however, that could change as conditions warrant. Do not drive across any flooded roads. Turn around, don’t drown! A few inches of moving water can move a vehicle. Make sure that you have checked your windshield wipers to make sure they are good working order. Make sure to reduce your speed while driving to avoid hydroplaning and to give yourself plenty of stopping distance from the vehicle in front of you. Of course, never use your cruise control when you travel on wet roads. Always consider any type of lines down, whether power lines or not, to be lines that are still live. Never remove any limbs or trees with any type of lines wrapped around them. Report any trees down to the E-911 Communications Center at 864-638-4111.