Preparedness Portal
Why Prepare?
A disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home, and your family may be without basic services like water, gas, electricity, and telephones, or access to stores and other services for several hours or days. While public safety personnel will be on the scene after a disaster, they cannot reach everyone right away. The best way to make your family and your home safe is to be prepared before disaster strikes.
Three Steps to Get Prepared
Know Your Zone
We want you to be prepared during all seasons for potential evacuations. In the event of evacuation warnings and confirmed evacuations, law enforcement and fire agencies stress the importance for residents to Know Your Zone...your Evacuation Zone.
Evacuation warnings/notices and repopulation notices are issued based on protection zones. Zones are identified by letters and numbers. The first three letters identify the geographic community name. Each community is further subdivided into numerical zones (e.g., SCO-E018, ZAY-E004). Residents are urged to Know Your Zone by looking up your address on the Community Evacuation Map.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Use the Know Your Zone link here.
- Type your street address into the "Search an address" field.
- Click on the correct address that appears in the box as you type (you may need to scroll down).
- A box will appear inside the map revealing your Zone ID (e.g., SCZ-E030, BOU-E028), evacuation status/information, as well as your Fire/Police agencies of jurisdiction.
Pet Preparedness
When disaster strikes pets need to evacuate too. Use these resources to help create a plan.
Know Your Local Hazards
Wildfire
How do I prepare for a wildland fire?
As with most disasters, preparedness starts at home with an emergency kit and a plan. For more on this see our Wildfire page.
Floods and Coastal Storms
How do I prepare for a flood?
Be aware what various warnings mean:
| When you hear this... |
It means... |
| “winter storm watch” |
Be alert, a storm is likely |
| “winter storm warning” |
Take action, the storm is in or entering the area |
| “winter weather advisory” |
Inconveniences and may be hazardous, especially to motorists. |
| “frost/freeze warning” |
Below freezing temperatures are expected and may cause damage to plants, crops, or fruit trees. |
| “flash flood watch” or “flood watch” |
Be alert to signs of flash flooding and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. |
| “flash flood warning” |
A flash flood is imminent — act quickly to save yourself because you may have only seconds |
| “flood warning” |
Flooding has been reported or is imminent, take precautions |
For more information on flood and coastal storm preparedness, read more here.
Resources
Tsunami
How do I prepare for a tsunami?
View theTsunami Inundation Map for Santa Cruzto determine if your home or office lies within the area expected to be affected by a large tsunami. Important: Be sure to read the section on the map entitled "Purpose of this Map" so you understand how it is intended to be used by local planners. The map also indicates a worst case run-up scenario.
Read more on our city's Tsunami page.
Preparedness for Seniors & People with Health or Mobility Needs
- It is recommended that those with access and functional needs evacuate once the warning is issued – do not wait for an evacuation order.
- Assign someone to stay with them until everyone is out of danger
- Have a plan for medication backup
- Check out the FEMA Disaster Preparedness Guide for Older Adults for more information
Interested in Volunteering to Help During an Emergency?
Stay Informed
Other Resources