[EAS] Oroville Dam Evacuation...oh that was close

[Adrienne Abbott]

Two problems that haven't been noted so far in this discussion...What's the
coverage for NOAA Weather Radio in the warning area? It looks pretty spotty
on the NOAA Weather Radio map, so there may have been local radio stations
which would have carried the FFW, if they received it. Ditto for people with
NOAA Weather Radios. 

And will the thousands of people who evacuated their homes be as ready and
willing to go again if the situation repeats after the next series of
storms? The Butte County Sheriff just lifted the order so people will be
heading home this afternoon and evening and traffic out of Chico and the
little communities north of the dam will be gridlocked again...

I was listening to the scanner for Butte County Sheriff most of Sunday
afternoon and evening. Sheriff's deputies were going  house to house to
advise people to leave their homes and it seemed like about a third of the
residents they contacted chose to remain in their homes. Dispatch took the
addresses of the homes where people stayed and the number of people who
remained in the house. The deputies also responded to calls about possible
looting, which is another reason given by people who don't want to evacuate
their homes. The experts all say that this was a close call, but now you've
got a lot of people who feel they were greatly inconvenienced for no reason
and this will create a credibility problem for the next evacuation order, no
matter how many systems are used to issue the message. Perception is
reality. 

Adrienne Abbott
Nevada EAS Chair