Monterey County Evacuation Order Issued for Carmel and River Fire Burn Scar Areas

WHEN: Effective January 26th at 4:00 p.m. WHERE: Carmel and River Fires Burn Scar Areas WHAT: The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has issued an Evacuation Order for areas within and two miles down slope of the Carmel Fire and River Fire burn scars due to the upcoming atmospheric river and the high likelihood for debris flows. These include: ∙ C Zone 1 ∙ C Zone 2 ∙ C Zone 3 ∙ C Zone 4 ∙ C Zone 5 ∙ C Zone 6 ∙ C Zone 7a ∙ C Zone 7b ∙ C Zone 8AA ∙ R Zone 1 ∙ R Zone 10 ∙ R Zone 13 ∙ R Zone 13a ∙ R Zone 15B ∙ R Zone 1a ∙ R Zone 2 ∙ R Zone 2a ∙ R Zone 3 ∙ R Zone 4 ∙ R Zone 5 ∙ R Zone 6 ∙ R Zone 7 ∙ R Zone14A ∙ R Zone14B The Evacuation Order will take effect Tuesday, January 26th at 4:00 p.m. If you feel that your life is in danger, do not wait for an emergency notification. The Evacuation Warning has been upgraded to an Evacuation Order for the Carmel and River Fire Burn Scars and Evacuation Zones effective January 26th at 4:00 p.m. Beginning late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, the National Weather service is predicting 8 to 10 inches of rain over the course of the storm in the Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National Forest in Monterey County. An Evacuation Order means that danger is imminent and people should leave the area immediately. Due to the nature of the storm and for the safety of first responders and work crews, those who live in or in close proximity to the burn scars should leave during daylight hours. Once the storm begins, debris flows may occur faster than first responders can notify you or respond. Additionally, it may be unsafe for first responders to get to you or they may be unable to access roads due to downed lines and fallen burned/dead trees. Residents who choose to ignore the evacuation order, please remember the following safety information: If rain is coming down, get to high ground. A quarter inch of rain in less than 15 minutes is enough to cause flash flooding, mudflows and debris flows. Anyone who can look uphill and see a burnt out area is at risk. Additionally, there will be a soft closure of State Route 1 in Big Sur beginning at 5:00 today, January 26th and the highway is expected to remain closed until Thursday, January 28, 2021. Temporary Evacuation Points Evacuees can get assistance and register for alternative shelter at the following locations which will open today at 4 p.m. ∙ Toro Park School 22500 Portola Drive, Salinas ∙ Chualar Union Elementary School 24285 Lincoln Street, Chualar ∙ Carmel Valley Library 65 West Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley If you are evacuating and need shelter, information or assistance, you must go in person to one of these locations to check in or register with American Red Cross staff which will be on site to assist. Additional Resources ∙ For support in pet or large animal evacuations, call SPCA For Monterey County: 831-373-2631 ∙ Know Your Zone, visit the Evacuation Map: https://bit.ly/2KTdM9e ∙ To find out what evacuation zone you are in, please visit: www.co.monterey.ca.us/winterstorm ∙ To register for emergency alerts, visit: www.alertmontereycounty.org ∙ To receive text message updates, text: Text "MCWINTER" to 888777