Dear Lompico and Zayante neighbors:

Thank you for attending the recent town hall my office organized on emergency communications and evacuations. I truly appreciate that over 100 residents took the time out of their Saturday morning to help our community be better prepared for the next natural disaster.

If you have not already done so, please make sure that you are prepared for an emergency by doing the following as soon as possible:

1. Sign up for CruzAware notifications. If you are already signed up, check to make sure your contact information is current, and the settings are properly configured to receive the notifications you want by text message, email, and/or phone calls.
2. Know your zone. Check which zone you live in using Genasys Protect (previously called ZoneHaven) and write it on your evacuation plan so you don’t have to figure it out in the middle of an emergency.
3. Download the Watch Duty or PulsePoint apps on your phone so you can receive real-time information on nearby fire and emergency events. This is the best way to receive updates when emergency service providers have their hands full dealing with an emerging situation.
4. Be ready to evacuate:

• Make a plan. Prepare a go-bag, your vehicle, and your home, knowing that you may not be able to immediately return for pets or things you leave behind.
• Don’t wait to be told to leave. If there is a fire nearby that could take off and you have the ability to leave, beat the traffic and go. This will free up roads and emergency resources for others if the need to evacuate becomes urgent. 
• Let the authorities know you’ve evacuated by putting a note on your door with information on how you can be reached.

Visit the County’s Office of Response, Recovery, and Resilience (OR3) for information on how to be prepared – not scared! On the OR3 website you can also check out the S.A.F.E.R. (Situation Awareness For Emergency Response) tools – which, in addition to evacuation zones and warnings, include air quality monitoring, wildfire camera feeds, and information on roads and weather.

We’re all in this together! Help your neighbors get prepared by sharing this email or this downloadable flyer, and consider completing these steps together so you can help each other through the process.   

For those who were not able to attend, my office will be organizing another town hall soon, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please encourage them to subscribe to my newsletter or to reach out to my office so we can make sure they are notified when a date is set.

The County and local fire authorities are committed to doing everything within our power to keep our community safe and well, but we can’t do it without you. So, thank you again for taking the time to stay informed and do your part to prevent, and be prepared for, a disaster.

Sincerely, 

Santa Cruz County Supervisor, District 5

In November, Santa Cruz County voters passed the Water, Wildfire, and Wildlife Protection Initiative (Measure Q), a local parcel tax to fund responsible land management and environmental stewardship critical to improving our resiliency as a community. Projects eligible for funding will include those for water conservation and quality, wildfire risk reduction, wildlife and habitat protection, clean beaches and coastal protection, and community resilience through the reduction of climate risks.

 As part of the work to create the administrative framework to implement Measure Q, the County has been gathering community input to help identify priority geographies, activities, and equity goals for Measure Q-funded projects. While all in-person meetings have already taken place, you can still provide input by completing an online survey by July 3.

Your feedback will help ensure that the voice of District 5 is well represented in the creation of the Measure Q vision plan, so I appreciate you taking a moment to respond.

Although it was not the focus of the town hall, home hardening is critical to limiting the spread and damage of fires. Self-assessments can be done online through the CalFire website, and the Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County is offering free Home Ignition Zone (HiZ) assessments that will give you simple and practical steps to help safeguard your home and neighborhood.