For Immediate Release
Evacuation exercise planned for upper Mark West Springs watershed community
SANTA ROSA, CA | June 01, 2023
The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, in partnership with community preparedness groups, will be holding an evacuation exercise on Sunday, June 11 for the upper Mark West Springs watershed community.
The purpose of the exercise is to help residents familiarize themselves with designated evacuation routes; safely practice evacuating using those routes; exercise the SoCoAlert system to notify participating residents and to encourage residents to register for the county’s alert system.
“This is a great opportunity to make sure you and your family are prepared for the next disaster by rehearsing the steps you will need to take during a real evacuation, when every minute counts,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Exercises like this are particularly important in communities such as Mark West Springs with limited road access. Please join us if you can.”
Details of the exercise:
When: Sunday, June 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. for the exercise; optional preparedness fair from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: Upper Mark West Springs area along St. Helena Road and Calistoga Road from the Napa County border to the east, Petrified Forest Road to the north and Harville Road to the south.
Who: Residents of the upper Mark West Springs watershed community.
Evacuate to: Maria Carrillo High School (main parking lot) at 6975 Montecito Blvd. in Santa Rosa.
Residents who live in these communities are encouraged to register for the exercise at SoCoTest.org. They will receive the alert at the start of the exercise. Hi-lo sirens will be audible throughout the exercise areas to alert residents to evacuate at that time. Residents do not need to bring pets or animals with them.
At the evacuation meeting location there will be a resource fair with emergency partners providing information on how to prepare homes, families and pets in the event of a real emergency. Residents who participated in the evacuation exercise will be invited to take a survey to help the exercise coordinators learn what worked and identify areas for improvement for future exercises.
“The upper Mark West Creek watershed experienced emergency evacuations and severe devastation in the fast-moving Glass Fire in 2020. Residents in this area will definitely want to participate in the exercise to practice for real emergency scenarios similar to the Glass Fire,” said Supervisor Susan Gorin, whose district includes Sonoma Valley north to Mark West Springs Road. “If you haven’t already, please sign up for SoCoAlert to receive critical alerts and know your evacuation zone so you’re ready to go when a real evacuation is issued.”
Note, only portions of evacuation zones 2P1, 2Q1, 3H1, 3H2 and 3G2 are participating in this exercise.
The evacuation exercise is planned by the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, County Administrator’s Office, Public Infrastructure, Regional Parks and the Human Services Department. Also participating in the planning is Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, California Highway Patrol and the American Red Cross.
Emergency officials encourage residents to identify official sources of information now so that during an emergency they have direct access to accurate and timely facts. Visit ww.SoCoEmergency.org/Official-Information to view a list of local sources of official information.
Register to participate in this drill and learn more about evacuation exercises at www.SoCoTest.org.
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Media Contact:
Gina Stocker, Communications Specialist
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
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