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Residents warn of evacuation bottlenecks, urge senior housing and clearer emergency planning
Summary
Public commenters at the Midcoast Community Council meeting urged the county to prioritize evacuation planning for Moss Beach, Montara and El Granada, stressing that Highway 1 is the single egress and that seniors and farmworkers need quick housing solutions to reduce evacuation loads.
Multiple Midcoast residents used the public-comment period and the safety-element hearing to press the council and county staff for clearer evacuation planning and more accessible local resources. Anne Rothman cited a June 2026 UC Santa Barbara study and told the council that towns with fewer than six outward escape routes face higher wildfire fatalities; she said the Midcoast towns that rely on Highway 1 are especially vulnerable.
"The Mid Coast, Moss Beach and Montara have been flagged as towns that face significant structural evacuation bottlenecks due to 1 exit route being Highway 1," Rothman said, urging the council and county to examine evacuation-practice measures and consider senior-serving housing as a way to reduce cars on evacuation routes. Sid Young and others described limited evacuation centers and the need for an emergency plan that accounts for elderly residents and constrained access. The council and county staff acknowledged the concerns and said evacuation-route analysis and an all-hazards evacuation framework are underway with emergency management staff; they also pointed residents to county mapping and outreach resources.
