In Marin County, where many homes are tucked into hillsides along narrow, winding roads, residents could encounter some of the toughest traffic jams during an emergency evacuation, according to a new report.
The study, done by StreetLight Data Inc., was inspired in part by the gridlock residents of Paradise faced during the Camp Fire last year. Researchers looked at communities of 40,000 residents or fewer across the country, showing how traffic would flow during an emergency and pointing out potential bottlenecks.
Santa Venetia, Sleepy Hollow, Marin City, Sausalito, Corte Madera, San Anselmo and Fairfax were among the most problematic in the Bay Area, according to the report.
“I would agree that we have major evacuation issues in this county,” Marin County fire Chief Jason Weber said. “These seven communities are examples, but it goes beyond that. There is a lot more to be done.”
Researchers gave scores to cities across the country based on the total population of the town, the number of roadway exits out of town, and the average number of cars each exit route carries on a typical day, assuming residents would chose familiar routes in an emergency.
Of the 30,000 communities analyzed, around 800 had scores that were three or more times the national average, including 107 in California, indicating that residents there have fewer options when it came to fleeing in a hurry. Twenty-two of the towns and cities are in the Bay Area, and one is in Santa Cruz County.
The data itself shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a prescription for county planners on what to do when they’re preparing for disasters, said Laura Schewel, CEO and co-founder of StreetLight Data. Rather, planners should think of the map as a tool to highlight areas where they might focus their efforts. But, she said, local officials will have to weigh many different factors in crafting an evacuation plan.
“Part of fire education might be reminding people they don’t have to take the main exit during an emergency,” Schewel said. “And default behavior is not necessarily the right thing to do if you’re moving a whole city.”
Approximately 69,000 Marin homes are within the highest risk zone called the wildland-urban interface, where residential properties abut open space, according to the county.
The good thing, Weber said, is that elected officials and fire officials across the county have united to address the problem. One solution is the proposal for a new property tax that would raise $20 million annually to support wildfire prevention efforts.
There are evacuation maps posted to the Marin County Fire Department’s website, but those could use updating. One of the focuses of the initiative is tackling the evacuation issue, Weber said.
“This is one of the key reasons we’re pushing for the countywide initiative,” he said. “We recognize that we cannot do all that we need to do to keep people safe right now.”
With that said, Weber said, the key in an emergency is not to panic.
If residents are worried about getting trapped, there is nothing wrong with evacuating ahead of the crowd, as long as there is not a shelter-in-place alert, said Central Marin fire Chief Scott Shurtz.
“If it appears that there is an imminent threat, leave early,” Shurtz said. “Getting out early can be one of the best strategies people can use before roadways get clogged up.”
“The interesting challenge that we face is that many of the hillside roads were laid out more than 100 years ago,” Shurtz said. “What we’re left with is a network of roads that were designed for a horse-drawn wagon.”
San Rafael fire Chief Chris Gray said that after a close look, it’s apparent that some of these neighborhoods are choked by a lack of roads, with some paths marked as emergency-only access.
“Hopefully the wildfire planning efforts will lead to better vehicular access and evacuation capability countywide,” he said.
Fire officials across the county are working with residents on disaster drills, fire prevention and preparedness and overall education. Fire officials are also aggressively clearing excess vegetation from open space and woodsy neighborhoods.
For example, approximately 55 evacuation routes around the slopes of Mount Tamalpais in Mill Valley, Larkspur and throughout the Ross Valley are benefiting from some vegetation management, thanks to $1 million state grant, Weber said.
Fire officials recommend that residents educate themselves and get prepared. More information is at FireSafeMarin.org and readymarin.org.
They also recommend that residents sign up for emergency notifications at AlertMarin.org and Nixle.com.
The report is available at bit.ly/2zm9RrS.
The Bay Area News Group contributed to this report.
