South Lake Tahoe, CA- The City of South Lake Tahoe unveiled new tools today to keep you safe in the event of an emergency.
“Emergency preparedness has always been top of mind and it’s a constantly changing process,” said Police Chief Brian Uhler, “These new tools represent the latest steps the City is taking to make sure everyone has the information they need to know what to do in the event of an emergency.”
Those new tools include an interactive map, an updated alert system, and more strategic evacuation planning. The City has also partnered with local marina owners to develop a waterside evacuation strategy in the event roads get clogged in an emergency.
“We want all options available to us no matter what the emergency is, but especially in the event of a wildfire,” said Interim Chief Bruce Martin, “We all saw what happened in Paradise and no one is taking that lightly. These new tools will truly serve as a first line of defense.”
The City has also created a new website designed with evacuations in mind. Useful information, links to the interactive map and details on how to sign up for emergency alerts are all available at cityofslt.us/prepare you can also get signed up for our emergency alerts by texting JOIN PREPARE to 30890.
“City council has made emergency and evacuation preparedness a top priority,” said City Manager Frank Rush, “This is an ever-evolving process and city staff have been working hard keeping our plans current and looking out for new and innovative ways to keep people safe.”
The City has also partnered with FEMA to join their Wireless Emergency Alerts system, this will ensure that everyone in the area will get notified of an emergency.
“This is a process we started in January with an overhaul of our text alert system,” said Communications Manager Chris Fiore, “We have a lot of visitors in town at all times of the year, and not all of them are signed up for our emergency alerts. This will ensure they can be reached regardless.”
These new tools are available right now at the websites listed above. In addition to that, they will be made available in handout form at City Hall, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Center, and through a partnership with the Tahoe Daily Tribune in the coming weeks.
