Lake Tahoe households urged to prepare for wildfire evacuations

Wildfire remains a year-round danger in the Lake Tahoe Basin, where dry summers, powerful winds and steep terrain can complicate emergencies. The Ready, Set, Go! approach gives households a way to prepare before conditions worsen. Preparation includes learning nearby hazards, creating defensible space, signing up for emergency notifications and assembling supplies such as medicine, documents, water, food, chargers and pet items.

The middle stage means being ready to depart quickly. Families should gather people and animals, load vehicles and keep track of official updates. Those who need extra time, including older residents, young children, people with disabilities and animal caregivers, may benefit from leaving sooner. Once an evacuation order is issued, residents are told to depart without delay and follow official directions. Households are also urged to plan meeting places, communication methods and multiple escape routes, while accounting for transportation, medication and assistance needs. Emergency information may come through texts, calls, email, radio, television or official social channels, so residents should learn how their local agency shares alerts and use more than one source.