The city of Orinda has launched a new wildfire preparedness platform for residents.
The website, OrindaReady.com, has the tagline “Prepare. Stay Informed. Act Fast” and contains information on public safety, evacuations, and other resources. It has an entire portal titled “Evacuate” with a drop-down menu full of evacuation scenarios, models and where to go in case of an evacuation.
One such model is the Ladris evacuation model, which uses artificial intelligence to evaluate population density, roads, terrain and potential hazards to come up with the best routes for evacuation. The site also has live fire cameras provided by ALERTCalifornia.
Orinda used Ladris to create more than 100 evacuation and wildfire scenarios for residents to access, the city said.
Other sections of the Orinda Ready site are Insurance, Prepare, and Resources.
The sylvan city of Orinda has been designated a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone by the state fire marshal and residents are legally required to create 100 feet of defensible space around their properties. The area’s strong winds and dense foliage make the city one of the riskiest for wildfires in the state.
After the disastrous Southern California firestorms last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state to update its statewide Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for the first time since 2011.
The Contra Costa County city with the most acreage in the “very high” category of severe fire danger is Orinda, with 5,241 acres, not including nearby unincorporated areas. That’s more than twice the acreage of 2011, when the state said Orinda had 2,424 acres considered a very high hazard.