GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. -- A tree is down in your yard, your power is out, you have minor flooding in your driveway. Those might be personal emergencies but no reason to call 911.
On a typical day, Guilford Metro 911 receives about 800-1,000 calls in a 12 hour period. On a day with severe weather, its call volume jumps to a few hundred calls per hour.
"Anytime we are anticipating bad weather, we are anticipating heavy call volume," said Christine Moore, Operations Manager, Guilford Metro 911.
Moore says people will call 911 to report a downed tree in their yard. That's not an emergency. A tree down in the middle of Battleground Avenue would be a reason to call 911.
"When trees go down, they will call us on 911 and that’s not necessarily something that would need to be called on 911," explained Moore.
"They can call our non-emergency number which is 336-373-2222 and select option 3 and that will come into the center but it doesn’t tie up a 911 line. It would get a response, but it’s not going to be an emergency response. Now, if a tree is in a power line or the tree is blocking a major intersection or roadway, yeah, by all means, call 911 and we will get the help out there to you."
Calling with downed trees and minor flooding is actually helpful for first responders, Moore says. That way dispatchers can tell first responders which routes to avoid when on their way to an emergency call.
"It’s important for our responders to know where the hazards might be so that way they can avoid them and have the best routes possible to get to you and then get to the facilities when they are transporting people."
Guilford Metro also dispatches public work crews during severe weather when the Emergency Operation Center is not open. Those crews will be able to clean up trees in roadways.
Important Numbers:
Guilford County Non-Emergency: 336-373-2222 x.3
Alamance County Non-Emergency: 336-570-6777
Rockingham County Non-Emergency: 336-634-3000
Randolph County Non-Emergency: 336-6924
Davidson County Non-Emergency: 336-249-1377
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