Oconee County Emergency Services

08/18/2026

Today, August 18th, is National Volunteer Firefighter Recognition Day. A huge thank you to all the volunteer firefighters across Oconee County who give of their time to serving their communities and the citizens of Oconee County!

08/18/2026

Stay weather aware!

08/17/2026

Continuing on with our celebration of National Emergency Managers Awareness Month, the Oconee County Emergency Management Division wants to acknowledge Deputy Chief Mike Carroll. Mike serves the Division as the Deputy Rescue Chief/EMS Director. Mike has been serving the public in some emergency services capacity since 1980. He started his career as a volunteer with Townville Vol. Fire Dept./Fork Rescue. He then enlisted into the Navy in 1984 and served 10 years Active Duty with multiple deployments. Mike went on to a position with the Naval District Washington Federal Fire Dept. He retired from federal service as the District Fire Chief of Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Support Bases. He has been married to his wife Susan for 27 years and has four children and 1 grandbaby. Mike has been with Oconee County Emergency Services for 7 1/2 years.

08/13/2026

Temporary Cooling Center to Open in Oconee County, SC

Due to prolonged, extreme heat and high temperatures, a temporary cooling center will open its doors in Oconee County.

The cooling shelter, located at the Tim Howard Gym at 810 W. South 4th Street, in Seneca, will open its doors Friday, August 14th at 12:00 p.m. Managed by the Oconee County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), South Carolina Department of Social Services and American Red Cross, the cooling center will be available to patrons Friday the 14th, through Monday the 17th, from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Heat-related illnesses happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself. When spending time outdoors, people should be sure to properly hydrate, seek shade, and wear appropriate clothing. Anyone experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion, including dizziness, heavy sweating, nausea and weakness should move to a cooler area, sip water and seek medical help if symptoms do not improve.

Additional information about heat-related illnesses may be found at heat.gov/heat-safety/

For additional information about the cooling center, please call (864) 638-4201 or email [email protected]

08/13/2026

Next on our Emergency Management staff is Cindy Bibb. She has titled herself as the Administrative Assistant, but she is far more important to all of us than just that one title. She is the cog that keeps the Emergency Management division running as smoothly as it does. In addition to her regular daily duties, she is always willing to volunteer to be a participant in all of our crazy, amazing training. Ms. Cindy has been working with Emergency Services for almost 11 years. She graduated Oakway High School and Tri-County Technical College with an Associate Degree in Accounting. She has worked in a medical office for 35 years before coming to work for the county. She is married with 3 daughters and 4 grand babies (soon to be 5). This equates to 2 boys and 2 girls with one more girl on the way. Rumor has it that she may be leaving us in the near future for retirement unless I can figure out a way to keep her. While she will be missed more than she knows, we are very excited for her to be able to spend time with them grandbabies.

08/12/2026

Forecasted heat index will be over 100 through Sunday. Please ensure you remain hydrated, have a place to stay cool, and look out for those more susceptible to heat illness.

Isolated severe storms are possible across the area this afternoon/evening, with the main threats being damaging winds and frequent lightening.

08/11/2026

Continuing on with our introductions, Oconee County Emergency Management would like to introduce Drake Caldwell. Drake is currently our Part-Time Community Medical Responder. He has been with Oconee County Emergency Services for 2 1/2 years, with 2 years of that in Emergency Management. Drake has served his community in Townville as a volunteer firefighter for 6 years. Drake is a very hard working and dedicated employee, and is always willing to be voluntold to participate in random drills that hone the skills of everyone involved. We are looking forward to what Drake will bring to Oconee County in the near future.

08/10/2026

For Emergency Management Month, we are proud to introduce your Oconee County EM Staff. First is our newest hire, Will Littleton. He will be joining us as our Part Time Emergency Communications & Connectivity Technician. Will has 8 years in the fire service and has been with Oconee County Emergency Services for 1 year. Will is a 2nd generation firefighter and his father completed 30 years of fire service before retiring. He will soon be getting married to his fiancée. We are looking forward to his future with Oconee County and what he will bring to our service to the community.

08/09/2026

IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
US National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
411 PM EDT Sun Aug 9 2026

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Central Stephens County in northeastern Georgia...
East central Habersham County in northeastern Georgia...
Southwestern Oconee County in Upstate South Carolina...

* Until 515 PM EDT.

* At 409 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 5 miles northwest of Toccoa, or 5 miles south of Tallulah Falls, moving southeast at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines.

* Locations impacted include...
Toccoa, Eastanolee, Turnerville, and Tallulah Falls.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.

Brief damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines over small areas. A brief period of large hail is also possible. Seek shelter inside an interior room.

Please report damaging winds, hail, or flooding to the National Weather Service by calling toll free: 1-800-267-8101

08/08/2026

⚠️ UPDATE ⚠️

— FOUND & SAFE

Oconee Alert: Be on the look out for missing male 79 year old Elwin Carter Jr in the area of Northampton Rd Seneca. Subject is a black male, wearing a blue shirt, Black pants, Brown shoes. He is 5 foot 11 inches and 180lbs and does walk with a cane. He was last seen around 11:30pm on 8/7/2026. Any sightings please contact the Oconee County Sheriff's Officer at 864-638-4111 or 911.

⚠️ UPDATE ⚠️

— FOUND & SAFE

‼️‼️ MISSING PERSON REPORTED ‼️‼️‼️

Located in Seneca SC. Please dial 911 if located!