City of Bend official urges residents to prepare evacuation plans and ‘go kits’

Carrie Carl, a risk and emergency management official with the City of Bend, urged residents to prepare evacuation plans, sign up for local alerts and assemble “go kits” during a brief public information announcement.

Carl said preparedness can reduce harm during emergencies and outlined the three-tier evacuation system used locally. “Being prepared can make all the difference in an emergency,” she said.

Carl advised residents to know local hazards and identify multiple evacuation routes and rally points for household members. She recommended that households prepare a go kit with essential items and maintain a full tank of gas if an evacuation seems likely. “If you do not have a car, make a plan on how you will leave,” she said.

Carl explained the local evacuation levels: Level 1 means be ready and monitor conditions; Level 2 means be set and prepared to leave at a moment’s notice; Level 3 means go now and leave immediately without delay. “Level 3, go now. Leave immediately without delay,” she said, adding that residents should not delay to gather belongings or attempt to protect their homes when a Level 3 evacuation is ordered because the situation is life-threatening.

She also recommended practical steps for personal safety during evacuations, including wearing long pants, long-sleeved shirts, jackets, hats and sturdy shoes, and planning for additional warm layers in inclement weather. Carl encouraged households to establish ways to stay in touch if family members become separated.

Carl advised signing up for Deschutes Alerts for timely local information and repeated the basic preparedness refrain: make a kit, make a plan and stay informed.

The remarks were delivered as a short preparedness briefing; no formal actions or policy decisions were recorded during this segment.