Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Sorted by date Results 26 - 44 of 44
The San Diego County office of emergency services introduced new efforts to better prepare the region for a disaster, with a specific focus on wildfires. The first is the county resiliency program, which analyzes existing emergency capability and response plans looking for potential gaps and solutions to further reduce risk to communities. The county also updated the regional operational area recovery plan, a comprehensive plan involving all key partners for the restoration of essential services and economic recovery in the...
If residents felt some shaking on the Fourth of July, and even if they didn’t personally sense it, they likely heard it was a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in the Mojave Desert near the town of Ridgecrest. The quake is being called one of the biggest in Southern California in 20 years, could be felt in various counties as far as San Diego County and Nevada and is continuing to put out aftershocks. Residents should have a plan in place for earthquakes. Does everyone in your family know what to do in the event of significant s...
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday, April 30, to amend its social host ordinance to add marijuana, so that as with alcoholic beverages, adults providing these substances to minors could be cited or arrested. The social host ordinance puts civil and criminal liability on adults controlling private residences or properties who either do not properly supervise minors or allow minors to consume these substances. The amendment is a result of...
If someone is unlikely to install a smoke alarm in their home due to issues with mobility or financial constraints, then they could qualify for a program that will install them at no cost. More than a hundred homeowners in the county's rural areas have already qualified as part of a recent and expanding campaign to equip households with the lifesaving equipment. Each home could qualify for up to three smoke alarms and perhaps a carbon monoxide alarm, Bob Uribe, community...
Valuable comparisons and conclusions can be drawn from the types and circumstances of sudden unexpected deaths that occur in San Diego County, and in changes over time. Officials with the San Diego County Department of the Medical Examiner are releasing 22 years' worth of data – from 1997 to the third quarter of 2018 – in a free searchable online portal. The site makes over 59,000 records available. "We feel strongly that this information learned from the deaths that we'...
The recent Anchorage, Alaska, 7.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami warning, which was later canceled, reminds San Diego residents to be prepared for these kinds of unpredictable disasters. Having a disaster plan and supplies and practicing disaster response with the family could mean escaping serious harm. Residents who live in seismic zones like San Diego County should know what to do before, during and after a significant earthquake. Most people who are killed or injured during earthquakes are hurt by falling...
The online holiday shopping season is well underway. Residents are urged to shop carefully and be certain that the websites are real and secure. Fraud investigators with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office and San Diego County Sheriff's Department recommend shoppers use one credit card for all online purchases to avoid exposing other cards. Do not click on links from unsolicited emails. Go to the website instead. Make sure the website is legitimate and secure....
Looking at precipitation prediction models that track storms and historical data, the San Diego office of the National Weather Service is forecasting our winter with warmer than average temperatures and rainfall at or slightly below average. We'll have only a few windows of opportunity for significant precipitation from December to March. Otherwise, it will be warm and dry with more Santa Ana winds expected. In the near term, our best chance for rain will likely be in...
San Diego County area fire chiefs are preparing for a potentially dangerous peak fire season due to historically dry fuel conditions. Residents are reminded to take all precautions and be ready to evacuate if needed. The storm system that dropped at most 1.7 inches of rain in the mountains Oct. 12-13 was not significant enough to lower the fire risk. The region started off the week of Oct. 14 with elevated fire risk and Santa Ana winds with a red flag warning in effect... Full story
Federal Emergency Management Agency's national emergency alert system test, originally scheduled for Sept. 20, will be conducted Wednesday, Oct. 3. The test was postponed due to response efforts to Hurricane Florence in parts of North Carolina and South Carolina. There will be no reason to become alarmed when the test is conducted. Mobile phones will emit a special tone and vibrate as they receive an emergency test message Oct. 3. It is part of a nationwide test by the FEMA of...
In a local emergency, the county has turned more than once to the Del Mar Fairgrounds as a regional shelter partner and a large animal shelter, and in turn they have provided critical community support. Most recently in the 2017 Lilac fire, the fairgrounds staff and volunteers cared for and sheltered hundreds of horses. At its Sept. 11 meeting, the county board of supervisors recognized the Del Mar Fairgrounds with a special National Preparedness Month proclamation, thanking...
Fire investigators recently announced that the cause of the deadly Carr fire in Redding was a flat tire on a trailer. When the rim scraped the concrete roadway, it sparked a fire. Wildfires are the biggest disaster risk San Diegans regularly face, and most are caused by people in some way. In fact, vehicle-related fires are in the top two causes of wildfires in the county. These fires can be a vehicle engine catching fire because it is poorly maintained, a failing catalytic...
San Diego County saw three significant fires in July alone that resulted in evacuations, including one that resulted in significant property loss. There’s no doubt fire season is here both in Southern and Northern California. Besides the wildfires that were contained locally, firefighters were recently battling more than 10 major fires in the state, including the Carr fire in Redding and the Cranston fire in Idyllwild. These fires are a reminder that fire season is year-round and that all residents need to be prepared to r...
In a local emergency, people who don’t speak English or Spanish may not understand urgent information put out by government agencies and media. This challenge is faced by public health departments and local emergency managers throughout the country, but San Diego County is trying out a solution by partnering with a broad network of trusted community organizations. It works like this: the county provides critical information for the public on the Partner Relay Network web page, an online communication platform which is u...
Saving for college can be a challenge for anyone, but perhaps it can be more so for families who rely on child support payments. To help address this challenge, the San Diego County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is implementing a new college savings program for families called Parents Investing in Education. A parent who does not have custody of a child and is making support payments can participate by making contributions to the California Scholarshare program....
Preparedness, regional collaboration and fire and emergency management resources, coupled with a lucky break in the weather, were credited in a County After Action Report for stopping the December 2017 Lilac Fire's fast-moving destructive path within 12 hours. The report released recently also credits heroic actions of first responders for saving lives in dangerous conditions. "The county has invested a lot of resources in fire protection and preparedness, and I think that pai...
Homeowners or renters affected by the Lilac Fire are encouraged to register for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant that can help cover temporary housing assistance, essential home repairs and uninsured or underinsured personal property losses. Residents and business owners can also apply for a low interest loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Residents who suffered these kinds of property losses in the fire or who have other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance may apply online at...
The County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 23 to continue the county-wide local emergency proclamation for the Lilac fire due to ongoing debris and erosion control tasks as well as cost recovery efforts from state and federal agencies. A month after the fire, county officials also updated the board on the progress of those efforts. The Lilac fire began in the Bonsall area on Dec. 7 during extreme Santa Ana conditions. Supervisors ratified a proclamation of local emergency on Dec. 11. During a presentation Jan. 9, county...
County of San Diego Communications Office The San Diego County Probation Department will use a half-million dollar grant to keep high-risk DUI offenders from getting behind the wheel again. Nationally, nearly one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of drunk driving are repeat offenders and 50 to 75 percent of convicted drivers continue to drive on a suspended license, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. A $535,111 grant to the San Diego County Probation...
