Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Red Flag Alert - Mandatory Evacuations Expanded

The City of Sierra Madre has expanded the Mandatory Evacuation Order to cover the entire “Upper” canyon areas and the entire “Lower” canyon areas.

Additional locations for Mandatory Evacuation Orders are possible for the next 48 hours.

Road Closures will take effect at various locations leading to the Mandatory Evacuation Order locations. These closures will be strictly enforced by the Sierra Madre Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. The cooperation of our residents is crucial to the safety and protection of life and property in these areas.

Residents are asked to follow evacuation orders. Residents who prefer to stay in their homes threaten themselves, their neighbors, and emergency personnel.

The City has requested mutual aid from surrounding agencies including the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

An emergency meeting of the Sierra Madre City Council will be held this evening at 5:30PM in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. The Council will be considering a Declaration of a Local Emergency at this time. Such a declaration puts the City of Sierra Madre in a better position to recover costs that are associated with the emergency, as well as assisting our efforts in coordinating mutual aid.

Additional Important Information:

o The City has opened the Community Recreation Center at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd as an evacuation location. Crated animals will be allowed.

o The City will operate a shuttle to from Mt. Wilson Trail Park (“Turtle Park”) to the Community Recreation /Center from 11:00AM to 1:00PM this afternoon.

o Sand and sandbags are available 24 hours a day at the City Maintenance Facility. The address is 621 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. The sand and sandbags are located north of the Sierra Vista Park tennis courts, and next to the Sierra Madre Rose Float building. Residents must fill their own bags and are advised to bring a shovel.

o Bailey Canyon Park, Mt. Wilson Trail, and Chantry Road are all closed until further notice.

The City of Sierra Madre is appreciative of the diligent preparations and friendly cooperation that its residents have demonstrated through all of our recent emergencies.

For updates and future emergency information, please be sure to monitor the City’s Communication tools:

City Website (www.cityofsierramadre.com)
SMTV3, (channel 3 on Time Warner Cable)
Sierra Madre Emergency Blog (www.sierramadrepio.blogspot.com.)
Email Alerts “eBlasts” - To register for email alerts please visit www.cityofsierramadre.com, click on AccessSierraMadre, and then click CommunicationLink to register your email address.