Prepare for evacuation

Confirm you will receive evacuation notice:

• Sign-up for cell alerts thru both CodeRED and Nixle.
• Have a land line phone that does not need power:
  Many land line telephones, especially portable phones, require power to function and often fail in emergencies. Instead, make sure you have a phone that only needs the phone cord (and no power cords) to work.  
• Do not rely solely on these alerts as damaged infrastructure could stop messages from getting to you. Instead, if you or your family sees a dangerous fire situation or feels unsafe, evacuate to be safe.

Prepare to evacuate:

• Review pre-evacuation preparation from Cal Fire

Prepare your home and property

You can reduce the chance of your home burning, although there will always be risk. 

1. Build fire resistant structures by using fire resistant designs and materials, and maintain regularly.

2. Create and maintain a 5 ft. no fuel zone around your home and deck.

3. Create and maintain defensible space: 30 ft. is lean and green, 100 ft. has reduced fuels, and up to 200 ft. has reduced fuels if on steep slope with a lot of vegetation.

4. Create and maintain signage and access for fire fighters and for your evacuation.

5. Promote community-wide fuel breaks and landscape-wide fuel treatments.

Prepare for home loss

Confirm you have enough insurance:

• Costs from wildfires start with evacuation and can include extensive temporary living expenses. This coverage typically includes food and housing costs, furniture rental, relocation and storage, and extra transportation expenses. If power is cut to their home, it may reimburse for food lost in refrigerators.
• Belongings may be covered under both home owners and rental policies. 
• Rebuilding your home may cost more than you expect. Additional costs arise from smoke damage, clearing home debri, upgrading your home to new code regulations, and building price increases during post-fire building booms. Insurance companies recommend insuring your home up to 150% of its current value and include policies for smoke damage, home debri and code upgrades. 
• If you own a business, you may want additional insurance to cover the loss of business while you are displaced. 

UpHelp App

In the tragic event of fire damage, having records of your belongings will help with  the insurance and recovery process. An easy way to do this is to take photos of every room, closet, and storage area, and store these photos on the cloud.