Santa Barbara County seeks public input on emergency response plans

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The County of Santa Barbara is looking for public input on its emergency preparedness plans through an online survey.

That survey, in both English and Spanish, is available here and is estimated to take less than five minutes.

The results of the survey will be used by the County's Evacuation Modeling and Planning Project to meet state-mandated requirements for local jurisdictions to evaluate and map evacuation routes and locations.

The public survey and the Evacuation Modeling and Planning Project are part of updates being made to the County's Safety Element, a policy guide on how the County plans to protect the community from natural disasters as well as human-made hazards.

A copy of the current Safety Element and updates that have already been made can be found here.

The Final Evacuation Route Plan is expected to be completed in 2024 and will include a map and tools that community members can use to learn about evacuation plans and issues where they live and work.

If you would like to receive information about upcoming activities and updates about the project, you can register for the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department's e-mailing list here.