California is burning.
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:53 amSACRAMENTO, Calif. – With strong winds expected overnight and extreme fire conditions in the forecast through Friday in Southern California, public safety officials will issue a region-wide emergency alert at 8:00 P.M. PST Wednesday asking residents to stay ready, monitor local news and listen to local authorities.
The following alert will be sent via text message through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system to cell phone users across Southern California:
“Strong winds overnight creating extreme fire danger. Stay alert. Listen to authorities.”
The geographically-targeted text messages will be sent to residents in San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Orange, Ventura and Los Angeles counties where red flag warnings have been issued.
The alert comes as the National Weather Service is forecasting an extreme Santa Ana Wind event beginning tonight, Wednesday, with 18 to 24 hours of strong winds gusting 50-80 miles per hour. The predicted winds, coupled with very dry conditions, mean that any fires that start will have a high probability of rapid growth.
“The state’s emergency operations center is fully activated and we are coordinating with all state agencies to continue our response to current fires and pre-position resources in case new fires emerge in the coming days,” said Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
“We have been staffing up with additional personnel and equipment in Southern California over the past several days and our Incident Commanders have access to a wide variety of firefighting resources,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE Director. “But let me be clear, no amount of resources can keep up with the predicted conditions. Firefighters and law enforcement will be prioritizing life safety and working to effect evacuations where needed. The public has a critical role to play in helping us prevent fires before they start by using extreme caution and avoiding any activity that may cause a spark.”
Residents are advised to monitor local media and be ready to evacuate if needed. For more information on how to prepare, visit http://www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
The following alert will be sent via text message through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system to cell phone users across Southern California:
“Strong winds overnight creating extreme fire danger. Stay alert. Listen to authorities.”
The geographically-targeted text messages will be sent to residents in San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Orange, Ventura and Los Angeles counties where red flag warnings have been issued.
The alert comes as the National Weather Service is forecasting an extreme Santa Ana Wind event beginning tonight, Wednesday, with 18 to 24 hours of strong winds gusting 50-80 miles per hour. The predicted winds, coupled with very dry conditions, mean that any fires that start will have a high probability of rapid growth.
“The state’s emergency operations center is fully activated and we are coordinating with all state agencies to continue our response to current fires and pre-position resources in case new fires emerge in the coming days,” said Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
“We have been staffing up with additional personnel and equipment in Southern California over the past several days and our Incident Commanders have access to a wide variety of firefighting resources,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE Director. “But let me be clear, no amount of resources can keep up with the predicted conditions. Firefighters and law enforcement will be prioritizing life safety and working to effect evacuations where needed. The public has a critical role to play in helping us prevent fires before they start by using extreme caution and avoiding any activity that may cause a spark.”
Residents are advised to monitor local media and be ready to evacuate if needed. For more information on how to prepare, visit http://www.ReadyForWildfire.org.