Finding both my Zone and my Island

Zone First

Within MendoReady.org, under Current Emergency Information, look up your Zone and write it down as part of your offline emergency kit.

When there is an evacuation order, the Zone numbers tell which neighborhoods are affected.

If your Zone number is listed in an evacuation warning or order, follow the Sheriff’s instructions. Leave before the last minute so you can drive carefully. Use the detours marked by uniformed personnel.

ISLAND SECOND

After learning your Zone number, use this list to find your Island name within Coastal Mendocino County. Usal Island is the farthest north. Gualala Island is the farthest south.

To find out which rivers are north and south of you:

-Use our Readiness Map or georeferenced alternate routes map, here, or

-Ask your passenger to read the bridge signs while you drive along Highway One.

When & why to use Zone & Island both

Some Zones include parts of more than one Island.

For example, Zone MEN-4FBA03 includes parts of Hare Creek Island and North Jug Handle Island. Zone MEN-4MEN01 includes parts of Caspar, Mendocino and Little River Islands. Zone MEN-3ELK01 includes parts of Elk Island North, Elk Island South, and Irish Isle.

This means that some parts of a Zone may have better access to a working road than other parts.

Let’s say there are several emergencies happening at once, and official personnel have not yet noticed a danger happening in your neighborhood. You try to report it but your phone is not working. You decide to leave even though there is no evacuation order. You see or suspect damage along Highway One, or you want to avoid tsunami high risk zones for the next 12 hours because you felt an earthquake. You don’t know how long it will be before an official detour can be chosen and marked. This is a great time to know which Island you are on and which roads & paths connect it to other Islands and to roads heading East.