'Know Your Zone' campaign

David Wilson, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read

Apr. 1—In an effort to better prepare Yuba County residents and businesses for evacuation or emergency events, an interactive map has been launched online that provides important emergency information.

The Yuba County Sheriff's Office and the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services, along with its public safety partners, launched the "Know Your Zone" campaign this week. The map developed by Zonehaven can be accessed at https://community.zonehaven.com and includes all evacuation zones in Yuba County. Residents can enter their address and record their zone number and review zone details before the next emergency to be able to map their best path to safety, according to a YCSO news release.

"Our residents have had their share of experiences with local disaster, which is why utilizing the latest resources and technology is key," Interim Emergency Operations Manager Briana Haberman said via a press release. "So when they said they want to know more about preparedness and evacuation routes, we listened."

After recording the evacuation zone, residents will see valuable links for additional information during an emergency, such as law enforcement social media, the Yuba County OES website and fire emergency services in the area. There is also a "subscribe to alerts" button that takes people directly to the county's "Code Red" alert system to subscribe for notifications. Power shutoff information will also be incorporated into the platform for impacted residents.

First responders will use Zonehaven during an emergency to plan and execute evacuations by utilizing real-time weather, traffic conditions, and natural disaster information as well as the ability to model evacuation traffic and fire or flood-spread scenarios.

Public safety officials will use the platform to update the community with zone specific information on the map including up-to-date evacuation status, live incident updates and relevant resources like shelter options. Traditional media sources such as TV/radio, local media and posted information and maps at common gathering areas will be used for those without access to the internet.

"Public safety during emergencies is of utmost importance to us," Yuba County Sheriff Wendell Anderson said via a press release. "The collaboration between the sheriff's office, Yuba County Office of Emergency Services and our fellow public safety and fire officials across the county have been vital to preparing this new emergency management tool for use in our community."

For more information about Zonehaven, visit myzone.zonehaven.com.