Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Preparedness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police chief details voluntary May 30 evacuation drill to test routes, alerts and interagency response
Summary
Organizers said the voluntary drill will begin at 9 a.m. May 30, route motorists to Monte Verde and Ocean, collect brief in-car surveys at a safe zone, and culminate in a safety fair at Devendorf Park; partners include Cal Fire, Monterey PD, CHP and transit.
The Police Chief of Carmel-by-the-Sea outlined a voluntary community evacuation drill set for Saturday, May 30, at 9:00 a.m., describing how residents and visitors will be notified, routed and surveyed to test traffic flow and alerting systems.
Why it matters: Carmel-by-the-Sea has constrained egress points and high visitor volumes; organizers said a live drill will show how traffic and communications behave under evacuation conditions and reveal improvements to emergency plans for residents, visitors and mobility‑impaired households.
What organizers described: The drill will be voluntary and staged as a rehearsal, not a real emergency. Participants in vehicles will be instructed to drive to a designated evacuation route and check in at the vehicle check‑in area at Monte Verde and Ocean. Pedestrians will be directed to Junipero and Ocean to be transported to the safe zone by MST transit. An emergency operations center will operate from Vista Lobos to monitor traffic.
At the safe zone participants will be asked a short set of survey questions in their cars about preparedness (for example, whether they brought a go bag or could transport pets). Organizers said survey participants will receive a raffle ticket and may visit a safety fair at Devendorf Park afterward for information, demonstrations and refreshments.
Organizing partners and tools: Chief said 19 agencies and volunteer groups helped plan the drill; partners named during the meeting included the Carmel VIPs and CERT teams, Cal Fire, Monterey Police Department, CHP, American Red Cross and MST transit. Drones loaned by Cal Fire and Monterey Police will record traffic flow for evaluation.
Concerns and outreach: Organizers warned that some automated alerts could fail for residents with unusual or missing addresses, so they are distributing flyers and will post temporary signage along routes. Several attendees urged special plans for residents with limited mobility and emphasized Highway 1 congestion as a key risk during outages. Chief said neighborhood flyers, outreach at the farmers market and an April 25 Carmel Prepares event at Carpenter Hall will help spread information.
Next steps: The drill will run about 90–120 minutes; organizers expect a final "all clear" notification around 10:30–11:00 a.m. The event is intended as a learning exercise to improve future evacuation response; no policy decision was made at the meeting.
