Resources for Wildfire Season

We’re grieving the painful destruction and loss from the wildfires that erupted throughout California this week. We hope that you all have found a way to remain safe, and will continue to be out of harm’s way. As these events signal a longer than usual fire season, we're highlighting a few resources to help track developments and prepare for potential events.

  • How bad is the air in my area? PurpleAir is a great air quality tracker drawing on a multitude of sensors.
     
  • Where can I look up planned power outages? Enter your street address here and then use the block number it gives you to consult PG&E’s rolling outage schedule.
     
  • What supplies should I have on hand? Check out CalFire’s recommendations for how to Assemble an Emergency Kit. Ready-made emergency go-bags are available at some major hardware stores, usually in red knapsacks. Remember to include some cash, medications and hygiene supplies, and print outs of important phone numbers and account numbers.
     
  • What if I need to evacuate? This ABC7News article has a quick overview of how to prepare for a wildfire evacuation.

Staying Up To Date

For immediate updates on evacuation orders: Follow @Cal_Fire and @CalFire_PIO on Twitter, populated with updates from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

For an overview of major fires in the state: Visit CAL FIRE's Incident Map. The sidebar shows the relative size and containment of each fire. The University of California's Fire Activity Map offers more granular information, but be sure to follow CAL FIRE for timely information about evacuations.

Community Resources

EVACUATION TERMINOLOGY

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 evacuation in an area currently under evacuation.

Hard Closure: Closed to all traffic except Fire and Law Enforcement.

Soft Closure: Access granted to critical incident resources (i.e. Utility, Caltrans, etc. or those needed to repair or restore infrastructure).

Resident Only Closure: Soft closure with the allowance for residents and local government agencies assisting with response and recovery.

We are continuing to monitor the situation and the needs of our community through our partner organizations and synagogues and will keep you informed of ways to help and additional resources.

Shabbat shalom, and wishing you continued health and safety.

Tags: wildfire, wildfires, lightning complex fire, safety, security
Categories: Community

Posted

August 21, 2020

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