Santa Cruz County pairs evacuation zones with CruzAware

Santa Cruz County asks residents to identify the evacuation zone for home and work, map every practical exit from home, and choose a meeting point. Save the zone name, but do not assume one route will always be open. Fire, debris flow, flooding, or a road closure can change the way out.

CruzAware is the county’s current alert and warning system. It replaced CodeRED. A user can choose phone calls, text, email, or the mobile app, select a language, and receive targeted messages based on the locations in the profile. Add home, work, school, and family locations that matter.

The county also recommends backup paths such as Nixle, weather radio, broadcast alerts, and local official information. Any one system may fail to reach someone during an outage.

When an evacuation warning is issued, people with access or functional needs and anyone who needs extra time should leave early. An evacuation order means go and follow current responder instructions. The saved zone helps identify the area; the live message supplies the action.