Grange Urges Neighbors to Prepare for Winter

By John Todd | Rio Linda Online

Knowing how to leave a flooded neighborhood is important. Knowing which neighbor might need help leaving could be just as important.

That was a central message at a winter disaster readiness meeting hosted by Rio Linda Grange this past week, where residents discussed flooding, power outages, emergency supplies and the challenges of evacuating pets and livestock.

A Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services presentation emphasized preparing households to manage for several days when emergency responders are handling demands across the community.

“Prepare, don’t react,” the presenter urged.

The Grange organized the meeting as a continuation of earlier discussions about household preparedness. Residents brought questions shaped by local experience: roads cut off by floodwater, properties near creeks, prolonged outages and uncertainty about where animals could go during an evacuation.

Know your way out

Residents were encouraged to identify their evacuation zone, review possible routes and decide where they would stay if they had to leave home.

Sacramento County’s evacuation resources include a Rio Linda and Garden Highway area map. Residents can enter their address in the county’s interactive tool to find their zone and a downloadable map. Routes may change depending on the emergency, so residents should identify alternatives and follow current official instructions.

An evacuation warning means prepare to leave. People who need additional time should leave during the warning rather than wait for an order. An evacuation order means leave immediately—and an order may be the first notification residents receive. sacramentoready.saccounty.gov

Residents can register phone numbers, email addresses and locations with Sacramento Alert to receive emergency notifications. sacramentoready.saccounty.gov

Those watching nearby waterways can also monitor creek and stream conditions through SacFlood.org. Checking water levels is a useful planning tool, but it does not replace following evacuation instructions. saccounty.gov

Pack for the household you have

The presentation encouraged residents to assemble emergency supplies around their own needs, including medications, mobility equipment, spare glasses and supplies for children and animals.

Suggested items included:

• Several days of food and water, plus a manual can opener.
• Flashlights, batteries and a battery-powered or hand-crank radio.
• Phone chargers and charged portable battery packs.
• First-aid supplies, hygiene items, clothing and sturdy shoes.
• Copies of important documents in waterproof storage.
• Cash in small bills.
• A written list of medications and important telephone numbers.

One practical reminder came from the audience: a contact saved in a phone is not much help if the phone is lost, damaged or out of power. Keeping numbers on paper provides a backup.

Households were also encouraged to choose an out-of-area contact and agree on how family members would communicate if separated.

Plan for outages and animals

Power-outage preparations included keeping vehicles fueled, learning how to open a garage door manually and planning backup power for essential medical equipment.

Portable fuel-powered generators must remain outdoors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises placing them more than 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, never inside a home or garage, even with doors open. Battery-backed carbon monoxide detectors provide another safeguard. CDC

Pets need their own supplies, including food, water, carriers, leashes, medications and identification. Residents were encouraged to keep current photographs with their animals to help establish ownership if separated.

Livestock owners raised a larger question: where can horses, cattle, goats and other animals go if properties must be evacuated?

The county presenter explained that emergency officials coordinate animal-related needs with partner agencies and available facilities. No specific receiving site was designated for a future emergency. Owners should make transportation and destination plans before rising water forces a decision.

Prepare together

The discussion returned repeatedly to the value of knowing nearby residents, their needs and the resources they might be able to share.

Attendees were encouraged to check on people who live alone, older neighbors and anyone who may need additional assistance. Organizers asked residents to stay after the presentation, introduce themselves and discuss how they could help one another.

Residents also raised questions about responsibility for a pumping facility near Steelhead Creek and how its operation is checked before flood conditions develop. Those maintenance and agency-responsibility questions were not resolved during the meeting.

For households preparing now, Sacramento County opened its seasonal sandbag sites Nov. 5, including Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Station 116 at 7995 Elwyn Ave. The county supplies sand and bags; residents should bring a shovel. There is a 20-bag limit per visit, and eligibility is tied to county drainage service. Residents can check eligibility and locations through the county’s sandbag information page. saccounty.gov

Emergency planning resources, evacuation maps and household checklists are available through SacramentoReady.org.

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