Emergency Preparedness

People who visit our beautiful community rarely think of the disasters that may occur. Most disasters happen without warning. Therefore, we all need to be responsible for our communities, our families, and ourselves to ensure we are prepared.  Public safety officials will determine if an evacuation is the most effective means to protect you from an emergency's effects. 

When a crisis occurs, local public safety officials use a few methods to alert the public:

1. The Emergency Alert System (EAS). This system delivers messages via broadcast on radio and television.
2. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). These messages come to your cell phone via text and voice. 
3. Reverse-dial. A pre-recorded message is sent to your landline.
4. Email. By signing up in Rave Login - Washoe County, NV (getrave.com) you can choose to receive notifications via email (or other preferred methods of communication such as a cell phone number). You can also download the Smart911 App.
5. Social & traditional media.

Please take time and become well-versed in our Are You Ready?tri-fold that talks about making an emergency plan, assembling a kit, and staying informed. We also have a Spanish version. This guide covers the necessary steps to make a family emergency plan, an evacuation plan, and how to prepare a disaster supplies kit. Review your  evacuation checklist  to make sure you have everything you need for your supplies kit and ensure your home preparations are addressed so if you have to evacuate, everything is in order.

Please review this Washoe County Emergency Management video about what to expect in an evacuation.

Part of home preparations is having Defensible Space. The Fire Adapted Communities: The Next Step in Wildfire Preparedness booklet is a great resource to help you create yours. You can also visit Tahoe Living With Fire for helpful tips on emergency preparedness.

Document your home inventory and important papers here.

You can also visit Ready Washoe to learn how to:

1. Make a plan
2. Assemble a kit
3. Stay informed

To listen to the recording of the Emergency Preparedness & Evacuation Forum please visit:

Emergency Preparedness & Evacuation Forum

Emergency Alerts

Please take a moment to register for the Rave Alert system to be notified by your local agencies in case of emergencies or critical community alerts. Examples include evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports. 

Register for Emergency Alerts