Nevada County touts Ready Nevada County campaign and launches ZoneHaven to help residents find evacuation zones

At the start of the Board of Supervisors meeting, county emergency‑management staff and community partners urged residents to prepare for wildfire season and introduced ZoneHaven, an online tool to look up evacuation zones.

Ulysses Palencia, who identified himself as a 2‑1‑1 call center worker and Grass Valley resident, described how local information flows to 2‑1‑1 from the Office of Emergency Services and told personal stories of evacuations. “In Nevada County, 2‑1‑1 is available 24/7… We all just want to help,” he said, recounting difficult escapes during high‑wind, red‑flag events.

Office of Emergency Services presenters reviewed Ready‑Set‑Go, the county’s three‑tier preparedness posture. They explained that CodeRED and Nixle are opt‑in alert systems that will send calls, texts and emails to targeted areas, and distinguished evacuation warnings from evacuation orders, saying the latter signal immediate threat to life.

The new ZoneHaven site, staff said, supplements those alerts by giving residents a zone number they can record ahead of an emergency. “ZoneHaven and knowing your zone does not replace Nixle and/or CodeRED. It actually supplements them,” a presenter told the board, urging residents to listen for official messages and to “find your five” — a network of trusted neighbors or family who will check on each other during disasters.

Officials also stressed practical household steps: creating a go bag for 72‑hour needs; hardening homes (mesh vents, noncombustible decking); and accounting for residents who rely on power for medical equipment. The presentation included accounts of local evacuations to underline urgency and described county outreach to ensure ZoneHaven and evacuation guidance reach areas with limited internet access.

The county encouraged residents to visit community.zonehaven.com to look up their zone and to sign up for CodeRED or Nixle to receive real‑time alerts.