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New county app aims to help San Diego residents prepare for disasters

Get free taco when you register with AlertSanDiego
Posted at 6:14 AM, Jul 31, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-31 19:13:19-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -There's a new way for residents to check how vulnerable to natural disasters their home is using a San Diego County Office of Emergency Services app launching Monday.  

It's an interactive tool called "Know Your Hazards," and it can be accessed from a website or through the downloadable Ready San Diego app.  

The mapping tool allows people to plug in any address and determine how likely they are, based on a rating system, to suffer from a natural disaster such as a tsunami, earthquake or wildfire.

RELATED: Tips to get your family prepared for a disaster 

California's wildfire season began early this year, due in part to record rainfall. 

RELATED: Residents encouraged to register cell phones for emergency notifications  

"In one 10-day period in July, we saw over 550 new wildland fires in the state of California," said Cal Fire San Diego battalion chief Tony Mecham. "Those are very historic levels of activity including several significant incidents here in San Diego." 

RELATED: How to prepare defensible space around your home 

The app uses publicly available data from state and federal sources conveniently placed in one place for ease of use. 

Data sources include: Cal Fire's Fire Hazard Severity Zones from the Fire and Resource Assessment Program; FEMA's 100 Year Floodplan; State of California Geological Survey & U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Shaking Potential for California 2016 and 2014 Fault Sources; State of California Geological Survey's Tsunami Inundation Maps

Emergency preparedness tips are also included, such as: 

  • How to complete a family disaster plan
  • Downloadable wildfire preparedness guide
  • How to create defensible space

In addition to learning some tips on how to prepare for a disaster, residents who register their phone number with AlertSanDiego, a emergency mass notification system, will be treated toa free taco at Rubio's Coastal Grill redeemable through August 14. 

The "Know Your Hazard" tool is available is both English and Spanish.