Resources
A Wealth of Invaluable Resources
The VRFSC works tirelessly to safeguard people and protect the property of individuals and families living in Ventura County. To this end, we provide the latest resources and tools to learn about wildfires—and to better prepare for the next area wildfire event.
LIVE: ALERTS & INCIDENTS
STAY INFORMED
LIVE UPDATES
LIVE INCIDENT MAPS
Ventura County Office of Emergency Services
WATCH DUTY
ONLINE DASHBOARD & APP
VC Emergency - Updates provided by Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services (OES) on evacuation zones, road and school closures, emergency shelters, large and small animal resources, and additional support, press conferences, etc.
2-1-1 Now - Disaster Information and Resources
Southern California Edison - Information about public safety power shutoffs, outages, and other power resources.
Watch Duty- Apple and Android app that monitors wildfires, power outages, and provides in time agency updates.
Social Media Resources
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EVACUATION
Know what it means:
- Evacuation Warning: Be alert and prepare essential items to leave. Those with large animals and disabilities, or access and functional needs should leave at this time.
- Evacuation Order: Leave immediately
- Remember, you don’t have to wait for a warning or order to evacuate. If you feel unsafe, leave!
AIR QUALITY
Ventura County Air Pollution Control District - text/audio alert system for farmworkers to alert the farmworker community when air quality reaches unhealthy levels in areas of Ventura County due to wildfire smoke.
For English text alerts, text SMOKE to 855-522-0034. You will know you are signed up correctly if you receive this message.
For Spanish text alerts or Mixteco/Zapoteco audio alerts, text HUMO to 855-522-0034. You will know you are signed up correctly if you receive this message.
MENTAL HEALTH
Ventura County Health Care Agency - Crisis Hotline (866) 998-2243
CALL 2-1-1 - provides local communities with information and resources related to shelter, health care, food, utilities, mental health, legal, consumer and more.
Emergency Preparation
VC ALERT
Be Informed
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services aims to assist Ventura County residents in preparing for, responding to and recovering from a local disaster. By providing information about local hazards and step-by-step preparedness education and materials, Ready Ventura County supports whole community resilience.
Get Notified
Ventura County residents may opt-in to receive emergency notifications that deliver time-sensitive alerts when there is a threat to health or safety.
Stay Updated
Check incidents in real-time.
READY, SET, GO!
READY, SET, GO!
This award-winning, national program helps community members be Ready with preparedness understanding, be Set with situational awareness when fire threatens, and to Go, acting early when a fire starts.
Wildfires are now a year-round reality in Ventura County. This means that both firefighters and residents have to be on heightened alert for the threat of wildfire at all times. Firefighters train hard and make countless preparations to be ready for a wildfire. Residents, farmers, and ranchers all need to do the same. Successfully preparing for a wildfire requires you to take personal responsibility for protecting yourself, your family and your property.
SCE's PSPS
Preparing for a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
In order to reduce the risk of wildfires, power utilities in Ventura County (Southern California Edison/PG&E) recently developed plans to shut down power during critical fire weather. During periods of extremely hot, dry, and/or windy weather, the Public Safety Power Shutoff Program (PSPS) can prompt multi-day power outages in many areas
A PSPS outage will last as long as the potentially dangerous weather conditions exist—plus the amount of time it takes for power company workers to inspect and repair their equipment in affected areas. Residents need to be prepared to endure a power outage lasting 3-5 days.
Actual frequency of PSPS events will depend on various weather and environmental factors, and each respective decision will be made with the most accurate assessment of situational awareness data and real-time information.
What does this mean for Ventura County residents?
Power outages deeply impact the whole community and can make it difficult for people to meet even their most basic needs. They may also present a wide range of additional challenges.
- Disruption of communications, water, air conditioning, and transportation
- Closure of retail businesses, grocery stores, gas stations, banks, ATMs, and more
- Food spoilage and water contamination
- Inability to use medical devices like oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, and more
- Inability to use elevators, garage doors, electric gates and doors, and more
How can I prepare?
PSPS events and other power outages are never anything close to ideal. But you can take some smart steps to help make the outage experience more tolerable—and less stressful. Here are some helpful preparation tips and steps.
- Plan for any medical needs, like medications needing to be refrigerated or battery-dependent assistive technology and medical devices
- Build a Ready, Set, Go! emergency supply kit, including food, water, flashlights, a radio, fresh batteries, first-aid supplies, and cash
- Register with Southern California Edison or PG&E to receive up-to-date alerts. Login with your SCE.com User ID here.
- Sign up for Ventura County emergency alerts at VCAlert.org
- Identify backup charging methods for phones, such as USB power banks
- Learn how to manually open your garage door
- If you own a backup generator, make sure it’s safe to operate
- For additional PSPS resources, check out this fact sheet from prepareforpowerdown.com
PSPS Flyer: How to Prepare in Ventura County Volante de PSPS: Cómo prepararse para los cortes de electricidad en el Condado de Ventura
VCTC
Ventura County Transportation Commission
TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN
Provides a proactive strategy and roadmap for transportation response and recovery during emergencies for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties going forward.
Goals of the TEPP
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- Develop an all-hazards transportation emergency preparedness plan
- Respond to the needs of the communities sooner and more effectively
- Create a blueprint for evacuation
- Improve transit agency management during disasters
- Develop a plan for disadvantaged and vulnerable populations
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Insurance Claim & Recovery Help
As multiple, devastating fires continue to threaten Southern California, FEMA and federal partners are leaning in to support the state-led response. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will be on the ground today to assess damage, speak to survivors and meet with community officials.
On Wednesday, President Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration to supplement recovery efforts. Los Angeles County residents who have disaster-related needs due to the fires may be eligible for financial assistance. Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are completed.
FEMA disaster assistance is intended to meet the basic needs of your household for uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs in order to jumpstart your recovery. If you have insurance and are applying for FEMA disaster assistance, you must file a claim with your insurance company first. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If insurance does not cover all your damage, you may be eligible for federal assistance.
FEMA Assistance Can Help Jumpstart Recovery
Individuals and families in the designated areas may be eligible to receive money for essential items like food, water, baby formula, breast feeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies.
Eligible survivors may also receive money to help with housing needs if they cannot return to their home because of the fires. The money can be used to stay in a hotel, with family and friends or other options while they find a more permanent housing solution.
In addition, eligible survivors may receive money for rental assistance, basic home repairs for their primary home, personal property losses and other eligible expenses related to the wildfires.
To learn more about the types of assistance available, visit: fema.gov/assistance/
How to Apply for FEMA Assistance
After making a claim with their insurance provider, the first step residents can take to jumpstart their recovery is to apply for FEMA assistance. There are three ways to apply:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov. If you have access to the internet and your electronic devices have power, applying online is the easiest, fastest and most convenient way to apply.
- On the FEMA App for mobile devices.
- Calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service. To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: FEMA Accessible: Registering for Individual Assistance - YouTube.
Contact FEMA
If you have any questions, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs:
- Congressional Affairs at (202) 646-4500 or at FEMA-Congressional-Affairs@
fema.dhs.gov - Intergovernmental Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at [email protected]
- Tribal Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at [email protected]
- Private Sector Engagement at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-private-sector@fema.
dhs.gov
Wildfire Recovery and Readiness
Mandatory One Year Moratorium on Non-Renewals
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, while serving as state senator, authored Senate Bill 824 (2018). This important consumer protection law requires a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies canceling or non-renewing residential insurance policies in certain areas within or adjacent to a fire perimeter after a declared state of emergency is issued by the Governor.
“Losing your insurance should be the last thing on someone’s mind after surviving a devastating fire,” said Commissioner Lara. “This law gives millions of Californians breathing room and hits the pause button on insurance non-renewals while people recover.”
How the Moratorium Works
Following a Governor declaration of a state of emergency, the Department of Insurance partners with CAL-FIRE and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to identify wildfire perimeters and adjacent ZIP codes within the mandatory moratorium areas. The protection from cancellation or non-renewal lasts for one year from the date of the Governor’s emergency declaration.
This one-year protection applies to all residential policyholders within the affected areas who suffer less than a total loss, including those who suffer no loss. Those who suffer a total loss have additional protections under the law.
Find Out if You Are Protected
Commissioner Lara has implemented the new law following wildfires in 2019, 2020, and 2021. If you live near one of these fires, find the fire name in the list below and click the link to open the Commissioner’s Bulletin for a list of included ZIP codes. If you live in one of those ZIP codes, your insurance company cannot issue a cancellation or non-renewal for wildfire risk for one year from the date of the Governor’s emergency declaration associated with the nearby fire. Below is a list of fires for which Bulletins have been issued since the passage of this new law as well as the Pre-Bulletin Notices for the 2021 fires. The Department continues to coordinate with CalFire and CalOES to identify the various fire and fire perimeters that are subject to the one-year moratorium for the 2021 fires.
If your ZIP code is included in the moratorium and you received a notice of cancellation or non-renewal for wildfire risk, you should contact your insurance company to seek a reinstatement of the policy. If your insurance company refuses, you are encouraged to contact us and file a Request for Assistance.
Wildfire Risk Reduction and Asset Protection (“WRAP”) Resource Center
2024 California Wildfires – Insurance Claim and Recovery Help
Wildfire Recovery and Insurance Orientation
Keep Your Home Protected When Insurance is Limited and Expensive
