Being prepared for an emergency includes knowing your evacuation zone and understanding all of your ways out of your neighborhood. In the City of Santa Rosa zones are organized by neighborhoods and geographical areas instead of numbers or letters. Having your zone name written down or memorized will allow you to evacuate quickly if an Evacuation Order is issued. This is also a good time to update or assemble your “Go Bag.” Read on for guidance on each of these items.

Know Your Evacuation Zone

In the event of another large-scale emergency that may require an evacuation, the City of Santa Rosa has and will continue to use preplanned evacuation zones to effectively evacuate residents. Depending on the type of emergency, the City may not need to evacuate an entire zone. Public safety officials will use your zone name and the appropriate alert and warning systems along with a description of locations to assist with identification. Use the Evacuation Zone Look-Up Tool to find your zone. Also, it’s incredibly useful to know what the different types of evacuation notices are and what they mean. This information can be found under the Frequently Asked Questions section of the webpage. 

Know Your Ways Out

It’s important to become familiar with all the possible routes out of your neighborhood by utilizing the Neighborhood Travel Routes webpage (srcity.org/KnowYourWaysOut) developed by City of Santa Rosa public safety officials and traffic engineers. During an emergency, your typical way out may not be the safest or quickest way out due to the type of emergency or hazard.  During the Glass Fire, many residents had the ability to take alternate ways out of their neighborhood but naturally headed in the familiar direction. By taking alternate ways or longer ways out, it can help reduce congestion. These routes will be useful to include as part of your Evacuation Plan. Type in your address in the searchable box and you will have access to a Neighborhood Travel Routes Map and a Pre-evacuation Checklist. The checklist will show you how to prepare yourself and your family, pets, and your home before an evacuation order or warning is issued. It is recommended to post the checklist in a visible place such as your refrigerator or garage door.

Prepare a Go Bag

Assembling a Go Bag or Emergency Supply Kit is part of being prepared for any kind of emergency. Your Go bag should include essentials such as prescriptions and other medical items, an extra set of car keys, credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks, extra eyeglasses, contact lenses, important family documents including insurance documents, and contact numbers. A three-day supply of non-perishable food items that are easy to prepare and water is recommended in the event of an evacuation and a two-week supply if you are confined to your home. This includes one gallon of water per person per day. Include extra batteries for your flashlight, cell phone chargers, and cash. Please note, during COVID-19 you may need to include additional items that you normally would not think about such as face coverings, hand sanitizers, and other sanitization supplies. Review a complete list of items to pack and more evacuation preparedness tips on our Preparedness Tips webpage. 

The City of Santa Rosa encourages all community members to prepare ahead of time and utilize the resources we have available at srcity.org/ReadySR.