LAKE ELSINORE – Some neighborhoods in the Holy Fire burn scar area northwest of Lake Elsinore were warned to prepare to evacuate should heavy rain trigger mudslides, but evacuations haven’t been necessary, authorities said.
The Emergency Management Department advised residents in the Glen Eden and Grace A evacuation zones that they should pack essentials in their cars and prepare to respond quickly should conditions escalate to an evacuation order, according to the department’s Shane Reichardt.
The evacuation zones can be identified via maps provided by the EMD at rivcoready.org/stormready, or by contacting officials at the county Emergency Operations Center at 951-940-6985.
“We are not aware of any evacuations,” he said. Residents rarely leave their homes unless ordered, especially in light of orders to stay home to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “We have locations for people if needed. They just have to call 211.”
The evacuation warning is not mandatory, but signals that there is a potential threat to life and/or property and gives additional time for those who have pets and livestock to leave their home, Reichardt said.
The communities lie along the eastern boundary of the Cleveland National Forest, where the 23,000-acre Holy Fire in August 2019 denuded steep terrain below Santiago Peak, permitting water to flow unchecked onto lower slopes where the neighborhoods are situated.
(city news service)
