The wildfires burning in Los Angeles have many Californians considering their own emergency preparedness.
San Luis Obispo County's Office of Emergency Services Director Scotty Jalbert highlighted ways the community can plan for disaster before it strikes.
"Everyone should have a plan ahead of time," Jalbert said. "At 2 o'clock in the morning, it's not the time to try to figure out what to do when you're told to evacuate."
Jalbert suggests packing a bag of essentials in case of evacuation.
"Having a go bag in your home ready to go at a moment's notice that in the event that you are told to evacuate you have the things that you need such as clothes, maybe some basic snacks and water, medications," Jalbert said.
He also recommends taking inventory of your home with photos so that if you do lose your possessions, you know what items are missing. He also recommends keeping important documents in a fire safe or online.
"In a lot of circumstances, especially if you're close to where the fire occurred, you're not going to have very much time," Jalbert said.
That was the case for Jeffrey Robinson who didn't have time to grab his belongings before he and his mom's house caught fire in Fresno. Now residents of Atascadero, that experience prepared them for the worst.
"We lost everything," Robinson said. "My mother after that point was like, 'We gotta get ready just in case this ever happens again.'"
Another Atascadero resident, Victoria Thompson, said she experienced evacuations while living in both Southern and Northern California.
"I've had to evacuate a few times in Southern California [and] in Chico," she said.
When asked whether she worries about wildfire risks in Atascadero, Thompson replied, "I think living in California, you always think about it."
For a list of evacuation routes in San Luis Obispo County, click here.
To monitor fires in your area, you can download the PulsePoint app on your Apple or Android device.
