2020 Wildfire Season - Be Prepared to Evacuate
As we enter the 2020 Wildfire Season the City of Malibu is working to help achieve community-wide preparedness for wildfires. Malibu has already had numerous small brush fires this summer, and our first Red Flag Warnings, so it is crucial that every person in Malibu is getting prepared for wildfires, our No. 1 public safety threat. One of the most important ways to be prepared is to be ready to quickly and properly evacuate.
Be Prepared to Evacuate
If you receive an evacuation order, do not wait, evacuate! Your life could depend on it. During wildfires or earthquakes, power, cell phone, phone and internet service may be knocked out, so you may not receive an emergency alert telling you to evacuate. Sheriff’s Deputies will patrol neighborhoods with loudspeakers and go door-to-door to notify residents to evacuate as best as they can, but it may not always be possible.
However, if an Evacuation Warning is given, assess your own risk – if you feel your safety is threatened, or that you may not be able to evacuate quickly if and when an Evacuation Order is given, then leave early. This is especially important for people with disabilities or mobility challenges, the elderly, people who are dependent on medical devices, and large animal owners.
Seniors & People With Disabilities - Learn about emergency planning for people with disabilities, seniors and others with access and functional needs (AFN) at the LA County Department of Health website: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/hea/library/topics/eprp/StaySafe.pdf
Pets & Large Animals - Make sure pet food, water, medication, carriers, registration and vaccination documents are included in your emergency kits. If you have horses or other large animals, do not wait for an Evacuation Order. If you are unprepared or wait until the last minute, you may need to leave your animals behind. Learn more about large animal preparedness and evacuation in the City’s Emergency Survival Guide (Page 29).
know the Evacuation Terms
The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) recently Standardized Evacuation Terminology as follows:
Evacuation Order - Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access.
Evacuation Warning - Potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.
Shelter in Place - Go indoors. Shut and lock doors and windows. Prepare to self-sustain until further notice and/or contacted by emergency personnel for additional direction.
Evacuation Order(s) Lifted - The formal announcement of lifting evacuations in an area currently under evacuation.
Hard Closure - Closed to all traffic except fire and law enforcement.
Soft Closure - Closed to all traffic except Fire, law enforcement and critical incident resources (i.e. Caltrans, city/county roads etc. or those needed to repair or restore infrastructure).
Resident Only Closure - Soft closure with the additional allowance of residents and local government agencies assisting with response and recovery.
LEARN MALIBU’S EVACUATION ZONES
As part of the City’s Mass Evacuation Plan, the City partnered with the Los Angeles County Fire and Sheriff’s Departments to establish four official Evacuation Zones for Malibu. The four Zones follow the City’s historic fire corridors. For more information about the Mass Evacuation Plan and Evacuation Zones, and to look up your home or business’s Evacuation Zone by address, visit www.MalibuCity.org/Evac.