Sumter County Activates Emergency Operations Center

The Emergency Operations Center for Sumter County will be fully activated at 6 a.m. on Thursday, September 26, 2024 to prepare and handle any potential emergencies that may arise due to Hurricane Helene. An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated when there is a major incident that requires a centralized location for coordinating emergency response and recovery.

An EOC allows policy decisions to be made and enacted in all facets of County operations to ensure the County, its citizens, and businesses are best able to successfully emerge from an emergency. During the office closures, key Sumter County personnel will be in the EOC to ensure successful coordination in response and recovery from Hurricane Helene. Residents needing information may call the County at 352-689-4400 to receive updates on current County actions, such as shelter operations. Information regarding the latest emergency updates will be available online at www.sumterprepares.com.

According to current projections of Hurricane Helene, Sumter County will face tropical storm winds starting Thursday morning and may receive two to four inches of rain. Localized flooding may occur as well as wind damage and power outages.