Disaster News and Recovery : Wildfires

Before Wildfire Season:

• Review the Ready for Wildfire Website. Prepare a go bag in case of emergency. Include: 
  • A 3-day supply of non-perishable food & 3 gallons of water per person
  • A map with at least 2 evacuation routes
  • Necessary prescriptions or medications
  • A change of clothes & extra eyeglasses/contact lenses
  • Extra car keys, credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks
  • A first aid kit & sanitation supplies
  • A flashlight & battery-powered radio with extra batteries
  • Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.)
  • Pet food & water
  • Valuables that are easy to carry
  • Family photos and irreplaceable items
  • Personal computer data on hard drives and disks
  • Chargers for cell phones and laptops
• Bookmark Fire.CA website to watch fires in progress.

Helpful Links for Before a Wildfire:

During Wildfires:

1. Stay inside with windows and doors closed.
2. Create a clean room using an air purifier or Do-It-Yourself Air Cleaner with box fans to avoid smoke pollution.
3. Run air conditioning while changing your filters (MERV 13+ is suggested)
4. Avoid going outside. If you must go outdoors, wear a N95 or P100 mask and keep it short.
5. Do not use indoor or outdoor burning appliances or swamp coolers.

If told to evacuate:

1. Turn off propane tanks and Move propane tanks, BBQs, and grills away from any buildings.
2. Move flammable items such as toys, doormats, and furniture inside, or place them in a pool.
3. Leave your garden hoses connected and easily accessible for firefighters but don’t leave hoses or sprinklers running.
4. Put a ladder out so firefighters can get on the roof if need be.
5. Seal the attic and ground vents.
6. Leave gates unlocked or easy to open.
7. Close all windows and doors, but leave them unlocked.
8. Leave your house lights on so firefighters can see through the smoke.
9. Take down shades and curtains and clear them from the area.
10. Close any metal shutters.
11. If you have anything that’ll burn easily, move it to the middle of the room. The farther away from doors and windows the better.
12. Turn off your gas meter and pilot lights.
13. Turn off air conditioning.
14. Check with your neighbors, and drive safely.

After Wildfires or Evacuation Have Ended:

1. Do not return home until authorities say it is safe to do so.
2. Check to see if you home may be a damage zone using the LA Recovery Website.
3. Walk carefully. When ash gets wet, it can be slippery.
4. Sniff for gas leaks before you turn on the power at home or inspect it.
5. Enter with a battery powered flashlight to make sure you there is no ignition if there is a gas leak.
6. Wear N95 Masks. Exposure to smoke and particulars after fires can impact health including lung cancer longterm.
7. If returning to a burned home, wear N95 or P100 masks, eye goggles, cover arms and legs (Tyvek suits are a good option).
8. Mist ash and debris and gently sweep into bags or bins to avoid dustup.
9. Use a home air cleaner (filters with MERV13) or purifier to reduce smoke pollution.
10. Dispose of ash-filled water to ground areas and away from drains.
11. Check for embers. Cal Fire suggests looking in the attic, rain gutters, on the roof, under decks, in crawlspaces and in any piles of debris for embers that might've floated in.
12. Throw away frozen food that might've thawed during a power outage. Also, throw away food that was not in airtight containers, but was exposed to the air, like food stored in cardboard boxes. According to the County Department of Health, food in sealed glass jars and metal cans should be safe. 
13. Toss plastic bottles, like bottles of water, that have ash on the caps. According to the County Department of Health, rinsing off the bottle caps is not enough to decontaminate the containers.
14. Put any ash you do collect into a plastic bag, so it doesn't blow away.
15. If using a generator, use an extension cord to plug appliances directly into generators — no power strips, just one appliance per outlet, to avoid an overload that could shut the generator down
16. Take pictures and videos of all damages inside and outside of your home. This might be helpful for insurance purposes later.

Helpful Links for After a Wildfire: