Folks in an emergency situation can now text Horry County’s 911 for help

Starting today you can text 911 in Horry County in the case of an emergency.

Horry County public safety officials announced on Tuesday that the E911 center can now send and receive text messages. The announcement came on the day of the 29th anniversary of Horry County’s 911 operations.

E911 Director Renee Hardwick said while it is still better to call 911 in an emergency, text messages can be useful in situations where people are unable to speak.

For example, that could be a domestic violence situation, shooting event or a robbery. In addition, Hardwick said text messages are particularly useful for Horry County’s members of the deaf or hard-of-hearing community.

“Our hearing-impaired community is our most important client,” Hardwick said.

The 911 operations can also send texts if a third party reports an emergency and provides the contact number for the person involved. Hardwick said this will be helpful in contacting people involved in an emergency after a third-party reports the issue.

Once you send a text, the 911 operator may respond with questions. The text request for help will be treated exactly like an emergency call. Horry County Fire Rescue officers and/or Horry County Police officers will be dispatched immediately.

Hardwick said to only text 911 if you or your property are in immediate danger. Prank texts will be treated the same as a prank phone call.

The texts must be sent directly to 911, cannot have photos or videos attached, cannot be in a group chat and cannot contain any slang or abbreviations.

“During an emergency situation, we don’t need to think about what that smiley face really means,” Hardwick said.

Ultimately, for Horry County, making texting a part of how residents contact public safety officials is part of a larger effort to keep up with technological changes.

Hardwick said once one life is saved through the texting program, it will all be worth it.