emergency alert

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 2020 is turning out to be a year of large fires in California, and the South Lake Tahoe area is not immune from the danger of wildfire. It is very important to be prepared in case you must evacuate.

Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

Listed below are ways those in the South Lake Tahoe can start to plan, in hopes the plans never have to be used.

If there were just two things residents should know, South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacol said it would be to "evacuate early" and "have a plan."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There will be another fire in California, but when and where cannot be predicted and is unknown - but what is known is there will be another community that is devastated by wildland fire.

Residents around Lake Tahoe and the Sierra know this all too well and have been talking about concerns of wildfire threats in and around the Tahoe Basin. Those conversations have turned into plans and the City of South Lake Tahoe has just released an interactive website to help both residents and visitors map out an evacuation plan based on their neighborhood.

The following is a letter created by the four agencies currently working together to try and find a solution to the traffic problem in Meyers as visitors exit Lake Tahoe after a weekend. A public meeting was held on Friday night and that story will be carried on Saturday.

El Dorado County residents can sign up for CodeRED, an emergency notification service so they can be warned in the event of an emergency. This El Dorado County Sheriff's Office - Office of Emergency Services Alert Notification System provides a number of ways in which the county may contact the community in the event of an emergency or urgent law enforcement operations such as evacuations due to wildfires, hazardous material spills, or urgent law enforcement operations.

Residents who haven't already signed up for Douglas County Reverse 911 are being encouraged to do so. The emergency alert system sends text messages in the case of natural disasters, community emergencies, industrial accidents, wildfires, floods, severe weather, chemical spills, or when police actions occur.

Reverse 911 can target all residents in a community down to a single address.

8 p.m. update 8/18/15:

The Walker Fire has now burned 3,715 acres and is now 35% contained. It has been determined that the fire is human caused and is under investigation.

There are 484 firefighters working on the fire along with 4 helicopters, 2 Air tankers, 34 Engines, 10 Crews, 6 Water Tenders, and 4 Dozers.

235 structures remain threatened but none have burned so far.

The last time emergency response processes were tested in South Lake Tahoe was during the 2007 Angora Fire. In order to test communication, responses and evaluate procedures, a mock disaster drill was held at the Tahoe Valley Airport Monday.

Douglas County Board of Commissioners have requested a State of Emergency for the series of floods that have hit the region since July 20. In doing so, funds can come into the county to help replenish depleted coffers and to help with the repair of public infrastructure such as county maintained roads, culverts, and drainage.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Wednesday at 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, the federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. The duration of the test will ...