Public Spark

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Southern California wild fires are leaving a disastrous path, with the Santa Ana winds making it an extra challenge for the firefighters. I was in the Thousand Oaks area on Sunday, when the fires first started. The wind and limited visibility made driving my vehicle an extra difficult task. The tree branches were broken and so were most of the signal lights. I cannot begin to imagine the areas that have been directly hit with the fires. Although wildfires have occurred in the past, it is still something that no one is fully prepared for and can be a traumatic experience. However, I found that there are steps people are advised to take to ensure our own safety, as well as the safety of others.

WHAT TO DO:

1. Staying off the highways

   Fire Departments and County officials are asking people to stay off the highways as much as possible. This is so that emergency vehicles can utilize the highways to get to the affected regions.

2. Staying off the cell phones

   This is also so that the phone lines are free for emergency use.

3. Evacuate if necessary

   Fire officials have been great at evacuating residents in the affected areas.

4. Taking care of yourself with the poor air quality

   There have been many air quality advisories. Some of the ways that I have managed are by using saline nasal spray and gargling with salt water.

5. Volunteer

   There are many volunteer firefighters helping out, as well as residents willing to take in animals. There are many ways to do it. Some of the resources below have information on ways to volunteer.

6. Manage stress

   There is no doubt that this a stressful event for everyone. It is especially important during emergency situations to manage stress through ways such as family and friend supports, getting up to date information, meditating, and relaxation exercises.

7. Access resources

   Below are regional hotlines, online resources and newsfeeds, as well as general information

REGIONAL HOTLINES:

• IRVINE CITY

  Public Information: 714-628-7085

  Radio: AM 1640

• LOS ANGELES COUNTY

  Fire Department Public Information: 323-881-2411

• MALIBU CITY

  Information: 310-456-9982

• SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

  Public Information Office: 909-881-6949

  Fire Hotline: 909-988-3650

• SAN DIEGO

  Community Access Phone: 619-570-1070

  County General Info: 858-694-3900

• VENTURA COUNTY

  Main Hospital (non-emergencies): 805-652-3900

REGIONAL RESOURCES:

• Irvine City Information:

  This website has wildfire updates as well as smoke advisories.

• Los Angeles County Information

  Los Angeles Fire Emergency Fire Report and Information page has evacuation orders, map of the fires, information for pets, road closures, etc.

  Los Angeles Fire Department’s home page has a map of the Southern California wildfires, as well as breaking news alerts.

  This LA county Website has information about evacuation sites for people, as well as animals and health alerts.

  211 LA county is another website that has information on air quality, evacuation procedures, etc.

• Orange County Area Information

  OC Gov website has a stream of the latest news.

  OC Fire Authority has emergency information.

• Riverside County Information

  Riverside County Fire Department website has incident information as well as evacuation preparation.

• Santa Barbara County Information

  County Executive Office has fire updates and health advisories.

• Santa Clarita City Information

  City website has a fire information summary, as well as animal evacuation information.

• San Bernardino County Information

  The county website has fire information, as well as evacuation procedures and road closures.

• San Diego County Information

  Emergency Homepage has breaking news briefs.

• Ventura County Information

  This website has emergency response, volunteer, emergency preparedness resources.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

• National Interagency Fire Center has national fire news and statistics.

• US Fire Administration has various resources including Fire Escape Planning.

SOME INTERNET NEWS FEEDS:

• CNN

• GOOGLE NEWS

• LA TIMES