There’s no perfect plan when it comes to preparing for disasters, but you can make sure they catch you at your best instead of your worst.
This year the North State endured the Wall Fire that destroyed 41 homes, the Ponderosa fire that destroyed 32 and the Helena fire that destroyed over 70. Of course, there was also the Oroville Spillway evacuation, when more than a hundred thousand people had to leave their homes with only an hour’s notice.
There is a lot we can learn from the regions that have had to handle these crises. Cindi Dunsmoor is an emergency Services Officer with Butte County. She says that after the spillway incident, the county improved their disaster plans, “This was totally unexpected and not what we had anticipated, so it’s changed everybody’s way of thinking.”
The most problematic aspect of the evacuations was the short-notice. Residents were scrambling to get north to Chico within an hour, resulting in a massive traffic jam.
Dunsmoor says the county has made some improvements since then. Now, the parts of the county at risk of flooding are divided into zones. Residents in half of the zones are asked to evacuate north along highway 70. Residents in the other half are asked to evacuate east along main roads like Lincoln Boulevard. You can find your zone and suggested evacuation route by clicking here.
Dunsmoor also hopes that the spillway crisis was a wake up call for many residents and that they’ll be ready, should anything like this happen again.
Tong Her has lived in Oroville for twenty years, he says he wasn’t prepared to evacuate during the spillway crisis because it’s never been an issue before. After February he signed up for the county’semergency alert system. He has a go-bag packed with his important documents and other necessities.
He says that people from Oroville have had to be ready for whatever comes their way, “With all the stuff up at the dam and everything and even with the fire season, you always have to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.”
However residents from areas where neither fire nor flooding are common, were less worried about making plans. Tasha Mcclain recently moved to Chico from Capay. She says she has not prepared for any disasters, but she knows some of what she’s supposed to do, “If I were to prepare, I’d have a designated spot for my family to meet. Also, having doors or windows, proper ways to go out if it were a fire.
It may be hard to motivate yourself to prepare for a disaster when you’ve never been through one and it’s easy to feel like it won’t happen to you. Still, the best time to prepare is before a disaster hits, not after.
Cindi Dunsmoor with Butte County Emergency services has a number of recommendations, “Make sure that they have a communication plan. So that they have someone out of the area, preferably out of the state, but at least out of the area; that everyone in the family knows to call.”
Dunsmoor also says to pack an evacuation bag. It should have water, a change of clothes, your phone charger and seven days worth of medication and other necessary items.
You also need to plan at least two routes out of town. Practice driving them before something happens.
Sign up for your county’s emergency mass notifications. Each county has a different system that they will use to alert you. If you are not registered, it may take longer to get the news. Below, you'll find instructions for registering in your county.
Even if you don’t live in area that’s prone to flooding or fires, you never know what might happen. Please take a look at our disaster preparedness links and tips below. Also, check in with your county's office of emergency services to see which disasters are most common in your area and how to best prepare for them.
Disaster Preparedness Tips
- Plan at least two evacuation routes.
- Pack a go bag. For what to include, click here.
- Make copies of all your important documents, including your will, immunization records and identification cards.
- Designate an emergency contact that is out of the area.
- Try to keep three quarters of gas in your car at all times.
- Register for your county’s emergency alerts.
- Always be aware of road closures in your area and keep physical maps in your car.
- Never drive through flooded roads.
Click on your county to register for emergency alerts
Butte
Yuba
Sutter
Glenn
Shasta
Tehama
Siskiyou
Colusa
Plumas
Lassen
Modoc
Trinity