Ouray County adopts new evacuation plan; commissioners ask for local edits and housekeeping updates

The Ouray County Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted a new countywide evacuation plan on April 22 after a presentation by Emergency Manager Glenn (Glenn) (presenter) and agency stakeholders.

The plan, developed by a regional contractor with input from county, city and town staff, lays out a three-stage evacuation framework — “Be Ready,” “Get Set” (voluntary evacuation) and “Go Now” (mandatory evacuation) — and identifies primary egress routes, notification channels, shelter facilities, livestock and pet sheltering options, reentry protocols and vulnerable populations.

Emergency management told commissioners the plan was prepared with the county sheriff’s office and local fire entities, and that initial trainings for key county offices have already been completed; additional office- and department-level trainings were scheduled for late April and May. The plan cites the Colorado Disaster Emergency Act as the legal authority for evacuation orders and makes the sheriff the official able to order evacuations with emergency management in an operational role.

Commissioners and staff questioned several place names and utility listings; they asked that Tri County Water be added to the utilities list, that Blue Lakes be included among local recreation sites to be considered in evacuations, and that a couple of campgrounds that fall outside Ouray County be removed. They also requested that child-care provider lists and department titles be kept current. Staff said those changes would be treated as housekeeping edits and that the emergency manager had authority to make non-substantive corrections to contacts and titles as they change.

Emergency management announced a schedule of exercises tied to the plan, including a tabletop and a full-scale exercise later in the year and a mass fatality training in October. The plan also called for community education, improved road signage, and multi-channel public notification (alerts, radio, social media and PIO statements). The Board directed staff to finalize the draft, incorporate the agreed edits, and return the final adopted plan to the record.

The adopted plan will be reviewed on a multiyear schedule; commissioners and staff said they expect updates as staff changes and additional exercises reveal practical refinements.