THE BUTTE COUNTY GRAND JURY RELEASES ITS FINDINGS ON THE EMERGENCY PLANNING MEASURES USED IN CAMP FIRE

Findings from the Butte County Grand Jury determined that the emergency planning used during the Camp Fire "saved lives."

Speech to Text for the Butte County Grand Jury releases its findings on the emergency planning measures used in Camp Fire

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pre-planning did save lives.. that's the finding tonight from the butte county grand jury.. good eveing. i'm alan marsden.. and i'm debbie cobb.. the grand jury.. comprised of some camp fire survivors. has released its review of evacuation routes and emergency planning during the camp fire. in the report.. the grand jury says, improvements made after the 2008 humboldt fire saved lives during the 'camp fire'. action news now reporter stephanie lin breaks down the grand jury's report. nats: the fire's most intense entry point was near pearson road& jim broshears of the butte county fire safe council walks us through the evacuation routes taken by those running for their lives. we made some choices in the town's plan on how traffic might flow. a butte county grand jury interviewed broshears as part of a review of the county's emergency planning& its final report found that changes completed after the 2008 humboldt fire& "saved lives" after 2008, we looked long and hard at some of the choices that had been made. 74 homes were lost in the humboldt fire, and hard lessons learned. improvements, which included the clearing of vegetation along the skyway, the paving of forest highway 171, and the drafting of detailed emergency action plans, made a difference& the report says, during the camp fire. if they could find a way to make the traffic flow a little easier. but those who survived the drive down the skyway say there's more to be done. too many people at once. we'd love the end of the bottlenecking on skyway, we need more routes, more lanes& standup: due to the speed and unpredictable nature of the fire, hundreds of cars still ended up stuck and abandoned here near the intersection of wagstaff and skyway. it was so congested. we saw people swerve out into one lane and back into the big line of cars. it was kind of crazy. the jury's review lists the need for expanded evacuation traffic plans. when we look forward, we will look at a more regional approach to the movement and flow of traffic, not just get it off the hill, but where can we move it to keep the line moving? the grand jury's report acknowledging the progress made since emergencies past, and noting the need for necessary changes moving forward. in paradise, stephanie lin, action news now. other improvements recommended by the report include.. upgrading emergency communication equipment, improving evacuation plans, and more public education campaigns on fire prevention, safety and survival.

July 1, 2019

Action News Now (KHSL, KNVN)

By Callie Ross-Smith