What you need to know.

Stay Alert during Red Flag Warning

An El Niño is a natural climate pattern that is widely known for bringing atmospheric rain, but it could also bring elevated temperatures, and unpredictable weather events. A red flag warning will be in effect in portions of LA County from Thursday into Saturday evening. Stay alert, be prepared and sign up for emergency notifications at alert.lacounty.gov.

View graphics in other languages: Spanish | Armenian | Chinese (Simplified) | Chinese (Traditional) | Korean

Tip of the week.

Stay Prepared

Below is a list of things residents, older adults and people with disabilities can do now to prepare before an emergency:

• Plan for assistance and medical needs. Older adults, people with disabilities and anyone who needs help evacuating should coordinate now with family, caregivers or neighbors. Pack medications, essential documents, medical supplies and mobility aids. If you rely on refrigerated medication or electrically powered medical or assistive equipment, fully charge devices and backup batteries and discuss a backup plan with your provider before an outage occurs.
• Plan for service animals and pets. Make sure to have pet carriers, leashes, food, water, and other essential supplies ready.
• Know your zone and evacuation plan. Find your evacuation zone at protect.genasys.com or by downloading the Genasys mobile app. Residents in a high-risk fire zone should have supplies, including water and daily medication, and important personal items, packed and ready to go.
• Understand evacuation instructions. An evacuation warning means there is a potential threat to life or property: prepare to leave. If you need extra time or assistance, leave when an evacuation warning is issued. An evacuation order means there is an immediate threat: leave immediately. If you feel unsafe or see a fire threatening your area, do not wait for an official alert to leave.
• Use more than one source of information. Register for Alert LA County and your city’s emergency notification system. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone, keep devices and backup batteries charged, and keep alert sounds audible overnight. Check lacounty.gov/emergency for incident information and evacuation updates. Visit ready.lacounty.gov for preparedness tips and resources.
• Know what to do if a severe windstorm, road closure, or extreme heat wave prevents your In-Home Supportive Services primary provider is unable to work. IHSS customers should follow their personalized Emergency Plan established during their annual review, which includes relying on your designated back-up caretaker. You can also call the LA County IHSS Helpline at 888-822-9622 for questions and to request emergency support options visit dpss.lacounty.gov.
• Please refrain from parking on narrow roads, sharp curves, hairpin turns, and key intersection areas. Parked vehicles can block access for emergency responders and trap residents during an evacuation.

Key resources.

Prepare for Power Outages

Red flag warnings could potentially bring widespread power outages. By knowing what to do during a power outage, you'll be able to stay safe and be prepared.

Find more information on power outages by visiting ready.lacounty.gov/power-outage/. To check outage status visit Southern California Edison, click here.

In the News.

Los Angeles County officials advise people to prepare before El Niño peak conditions. By knowing your neighborhood, where you travel, and mud and debris flows might occur. You can review your risks using California’s MyHazard tool. Click here to read the full news story.