The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for much of Los Angeles County from Oct. 15 through Friday night; the County of Los Angeles, in a news release, said strong Santa Ana winds and very low humidity could produce rapid fire spread.
Gusts of 50 to 70 miles per hour are forecast in mountain areas, with widespread gusty winds across many valleys and coastal communities; critical conditions could linger into Saturday. The county also warned of possible utility-initiated Public Safety Power Shutoffs and unplanned outages that can disrupt communications, traffic signals and electrically powered medical equipment.
The Fire Department has implemented augmented staffing and is pre-positioning additional ground and aerial resources; the Office of Emergency Management’s 24-hour Watch Center is monitoring conditions and coordinating with response partners. The county said its Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center will activate beginning Thursday morning to support coordination and public information.
Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said, "Ahead of the high fire danger, the County of Los Angeles Fire Department has pre-positioned additional personnel along with ground and aerial resources across Los Angeles County. With strong winds capable of driving rapid wildfire growth, we urge residents to prepare immediately. Review the Ready! Set! Go! program, identify your evacuation zone, and be prepared to evacuate without delay."
Sheriff said, "As Los Angeles County prepares for the upcoming Red Flag Warning, the safety of our communities and our personnel remains our highest priority. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is taking proactive steps to ensure we are prepared to respond quickly and effectively to any emergencies that may arise." Kevin McGowan, director of the Office of Emergency Management, said, "We are activating the EOC and Joint Information Center ahead of the forecast’s peak winds to support those priorities."
Do these things now: know your evacuation zone and plan more than one route out of your neighborhood; find your zone at protect.genasys.com or with the Genasys mobile app. Keep vehicles fueled or charged and have a plan to open your garage during an outage. Residents in high-risk zones should pack water, daily medication and important documents and be ready to leave.
Register for Alert LA County and your city’s emergency notification system; enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone and keep devices and backup batteries charged. Have a battery-powered radio in case electricity, cellular service or internet access is disrupted. Check lacounty.gov/emergency and ready.lacounty.gov for updates; the county also directs people to ready.lacounty.gov/heat for cooling-center information.
Prepare for power outages: sign up for your utility’s outage and Public Safety Power Shutoff notifications, use generators outdoors and never inside or in a garage, and stay away from downed power lines. Avoid activities that can create sparks near dry vegetation and follow local fire restrictions; do not park on narrow roads or hairpin turns where parked vehicles can block emergency access. Call 211 for preparedness resources and referrals for people with disabilities and other access and functional needs, and call 911 for an immediate threat to life or safety.
Local
Robert Luna
Sheriff of Los Angeles County
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
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