Pack up or leave now? How to read fire evacuation alerts

Fire season is here. That means evacuation warnings and orders could begin rolling in as weather conditions become more ideal for wildfire.

So what’s the difference between an evacuation warning and an order?

A warning gives you time to prepare and means you should be ready to evacuate. In that time, you’ll want to gather a list of important items in case the warning is elevated to an order.

“Marriage licenses, social security cards, birth certificates, coin collections, whatever it is that's important to them,” said Lieutenant Jim Beller of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. “They should have some sort of a system in place so they can get that stuff quickly and get out.”

The most important way to be ready for an evacuation is to know your evacuation zone number, Beller said, that’s because it’s what the sheriff’s office will use to alert you to an evacuation.

Chandler Peay, public information officer for the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, reiterated that an evacuation warning is a time to get ready, not panic.

“That's when you want to pack important documents,” Peay said. “Cash, medicine that would be important to you, phone charger, backup battery. Anything that's going to be essential to you for a possible evacuation order to be issued.”

If an evacuation order does go into place, Peay said to act fast.

“You should leave as soon as the evacuation order is issued to avoid being caught in dangerous conditions or road congestion,” Peay said. “In some emergencies we may not have time to knock on every door, although that is 100% the goal at all times.”

It’s important to note that if a situation is unfolding quickly you may not get an evacuation warning, just an order. This is why officials say to be prepared to leave quickly by having a go bag, evacuation plan and your zone number committed to memory or saved in your phone.

“If you're advised to leave, you shouldn't hesitate,” Peay said.