Hilltop Mall becomes evacuation hub during Richmond emergency preparedness drill

On a quiet weekend morning, hundreds of El Sobrante residents simultaneously stopped what they were doing and fled their homes upon receiving a single text message.

Richmond's third evacuation drill was held Saturday, providing neighborhoods in El Sobrante an opportunity to practice what they would do in the event of a local wildfire or other emergency.

Multiple teams were on hand to facilitate the evacuation's test-run, including the County’s Community Warning System, Office of Emergency Services, Richmond Fire Department, CERT & EmComm, and West Contra Costa Fire Safe Council, along with Councilmember Soheila Bana, who helped organize the event and is the founder and chair of WCCFSC.

The drill began shortly after 9 a.m. when registered participants received a message to follow the evacuation route to Hilltop Mall.

Councilmember Soheila Bana and members of the community, including local Ham Radio operators participated in an emergency preparedness event in Richmond Saturday.

Some residents packed up their dogs, and others toted even more interesting pets, like snakes and geckos, as the group made its way to the mall's northwest parking lot, where participants were greeted by volunteers who invited them to park and receive preparedness resources from partners onsite.

All drill-related activity was complete by 11:00 a.m.

Bana said the event was a success, and plans are already in the works for another drill next year.

"Overall, it was a great success, as every drill is, since we raise public awareness and learn about what needs to be improved. I am glad that San Pablo Police said they would collaborate on the next drill," Bana said. "Con Fire has agreed to organize the next drill in El Sobrante Valley, as many residents live in unincorporated county. I hope that we will invite the Cities of Richmond and San Pablo to participate, too."

Bana said it is important for residents to learn about traffic congestion during an evacuation and to take the next steps for preparation.

"While hundreds of people participated in the drill and tried the traffic simulation so far, we expect the numbers to be in the thousands," Bana said. "We had Team Rubicon with many volunteers from Sacramento who came here to help, along with CERT volunteers, some community volunteers, and our WCCFSC volunteers."

English Link: https://www.wuigo.ai/podcasts/may_valley
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