Editor’s Note, Sept. 22, 2022: As of summer 2022, the Town of Truckee switched to CodeRed for its emergency alerts.
“This is it. It’s go-time.”
What an indescribable feeling when the Caldor Fire crested the Tahoe Basin and started descending toward the lake. Our region braced itself as the world watched.
ALERTWildfire web cams were witness to the rough night for Sierra-at-Tahoe on Sunday, Aug. 29, as seen in the screenshots on this page (note some shots are from Leek Spring Hill). Yet the 2,000-acre resort largely survived, with catastrophic damage thwarted through preparation and vigilance by ski area employees and firefighters.
To support the firefighters, your community, and your loved ones, and to protect your home, you must be prepared.
As of press time, Caldor is a mere 29% contained and the Dixie Fire only 55%. The relentless fire season will continue and who knows what will happen … even minutes from this moment.
There are countless resources out there to help you prepare, which frankly, is downright overwhelming. So our team sifted through the pile and put together a concise list that you should check out right now. We provided links below. Get prepared as if your life depends on it. Because it does.
~ Mayumi Elegado/Moonshine Ink
Find Out What’s Happening
Inciweb: This interagency site aims to provide the public with a single source of incident-related information. Good broad landing page to have at the ready.
ALERTWildfire: See it live with these fire cameras installed all around the region — a homegrown project spreading across the West like … er, well, um … fast.
Get Alerts for Your Location
Tahoe Basin:
Our August You Asked. They Answered is loaded with pertinent direct links that you need. Tie into the alert systems of individual counties and jurisdictions. Also find resources for road closures, red flag warnings, and air quality.
Truckee: (Sorry Truckeeites, the above YATA didn’t mention the below)
Zone Haven: Truckee agencies recently announced this new resource that divides counties into zones based on potential evacuation routes unique to those areas.
Nixle: Emergency agencies in T-town push out alerts via this information system.
Get Prepared
Tahoe Living With Fire: The Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team, formed in 2008 to coordinate the efforts of the many emergency agencies in the Basin, put out this swell website that is a valuable and localized public resource.
Cal Fire’s Ready for Wildfire is an overarching yet elegant source for how to create defensible space, home hardening, and evacuation plans.