Stay Informed
Emergency Preparedness
this page contains information about emergency alerts, road conditions, wildfire, evacuation, and power outages and shutoffs.
Yosemite National Park is prone to experiencing a state of emergency because of the frequent wildfires, floods, rockfalls, and other natural disasters. When joining the community, it’s important to be ready for disaster and prepare before entering a state of emergency.
emergency alerts
Everbridge: Everbridge Public Warning offers proven reliability and scale, having served populations from a few thousand to many tens of millions in over 500 governments, states and municipalities. Click your region below to sign up for emergency alerts in your area:
Sign up for park emergency alerts, which will be put in the event of incidents like fires, unexpected road closures, and other events. Click here to sign up now.
Sign up for ‘The Daily’ newsletter: The Daily Report is an email intended for locals sent out by the parks Public Information Office. This report has updates on things such as the weather, what’s happening today, recent news. and construction & traffic delays. To sign-up email: yose_daily_report@nps.gov with your employer and employment information.
Road conditions
Call the official park road tape at 209-372-0200 (press 1, then 1 again). The information provided on the road tape is updated immediately after we get it, therefore it will have the same and most up to date road information. You can also click here to view this information online.
For conditions outside of the park via Caltrans: (800) 427-7623
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California Road Report app
Road Closures
Road closures can be a real inconvenience on your route and with CARR you can check to make sure there are no closures on your route. Road closure details will indicate the type of closure, how many lanes are effected, and the estimated time the closure will remain in place.
www.caroadreport.com
California Road Report on the App Store (apple.com), California Road Report - Apps on Google Play
driving in Winter Weather Conditions:
Fire Preparedness & Safety
Yosemite 2014 Meadow Fire, photo by Pbjamesphoto - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
In order to avoid misinformation, make sure you’re using legitimate channels for updates for current fire information:
Remember to limit use of social media, stay connected with loved ones, and/or seek professional help if you need support.
Public Information Maps
These maps provide information and updates on closures, evacuations, and alerts within the park and Mariposa County that may be related to construction, weather, or emergency incidents.
Mitigating AQI risks
The Air Quality Index explains the risk involved in breathing in air during wildfires. Here are some resources to help you understand the meaning of AQI numbers and how to monitor them during disaster.
The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities.
preparing to evacuate
PRE-EVACUATION PREPARATION STEPS
When an evacuation is anticipated, follow these checklists (if time allows) to give your home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.
To prepare yourself for an evacuation:
- Arrange temporary housing outside the affected area with family or friends who are not high risk for COVID-19
- Pack tents and camping gear for you and your companions when making your evacuation kits and make sure to add these items to your evacuation checklist
- Understand your pets may not be able to shelter in the same location if you stay at a temporary Red Cross shelter
- Mentally prepare for change
- Sign up for emergency alerts (more info at top of page)
For more information:
READY, SET, GO!
In California, wildfires aren’t a question of if, but only a question of when. If you choose to live near a natural area of the state, you are at risk for wildfires and it’s your responsibility to prepare yourself, your family, and your home. And that preparation starts with three simple steps: READY, SET, GO!
Home Evacuation Checklist:
Inside the House
Shut all windows and doors, leaving them unlocked.
Remove flammable window shades, curtains and close metal shutters.
Remove lightweight curtains.
Move flammable furniture to the center of the room, away from windows and doors.
Shut off gas at the meter; turn off pilot lights.
Leave your lights on so firefighters can see your house under smoky conditions.
Shut off the air conditioning.
Outside
Gather up flammable items from the exterior of the house and bring them inside (patio furniture, children’s toys, door mats, trash cans, etc.) or place them in your pool.
Turn off propane tanks.
Move propane BBQ appliances away from structures.
Connect garden hoses to outside water valves or spigots for use by firefighters. Fill water buckets and place them around the house.
Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, they can affect critical water pressure.
Leave exterior lights on so your home is visible to firefighters in the smoke or darkness of night.
Put your Emergency Supply Kit in your vehicle.
Back your car into the driveway with vehicle loaded and all doors and windows closed. Carry your car keys with you.
Have a ladder available and place it at the corner of the house for firefighters to quickly access your roof.
Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals.
Patrol your property and monitor the fire situation. Don’t wait for an evacuation order if you feel threatened.
Check on neighbors and make sure they are preparing to leave.
Animals
Locate your pets and keep them nearby.
Prepare farm animals for transport and think about moving them to a safe location early.
Power outages & shutdowns
Information from your Facilities Management staff
PSPS events are complex events requiring a lot of coordination and patience. Visit PG&E's and SCE's websites for information about PSPS:
Yosemite National Park has three separate Utilities that supply electric power to the park. Southern California Edison, Hetch Hetchy Water and Power. and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Although not all electrical lines entering the park are overhead, the sources that supply them are. This is important since contact between overhead powerlines, vegetation, animals or inclement weather are the most frequent reason for power outages. In the case of a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), power is preventively turned off to reduce the chance of fire in dry, windy, or low humidity conditions. During wildfire events, utility companies sometimes turn off overhead power lines to prevent injury to firefighters and other incident responders. While not strictly PSPS events, these situations can result in power outages. Once the event has passed, each utility begins its own process of power line evaluation, repair, and restoration. Depending on the extent of any damage, this can take hours, days, or weeks.
During some power outages, PG&E has provided localized generation for some areas; no other utility supplying Yosemite has attempted this.
Over the last three years, NPS electricians with assistance from PG&E have worked hard to develop a way to provide generation to Yosemite Valley during extended power outages. PG&E has also supplied generator power to El Portal, Wawona, Yosemite West, and Foresta. This generated power is supplied by PG&E when maintenance of their equipment is needed or when equipment fails (they have not provided generation to these areas during PSPS events). Areas receiving generator power are limited because all areas other than Yosemite Valley contain overhead powerlines, subject to damage during these events. Yosemite Valley is different since nearly all of Yosemite Valley’s powerlines are underground and those that are not can be isolated or turned off. This allows no overhead lines to be energized while the valley is powered. The design of the valley electrical system is such that when power is supplied to critical infrastructure (such as lift stations, water wells, continuity of operation facilities, etc.) residents also benefit due to the inability to isolate just the critical infrastructure—residences are part of the circuit. When generating power in the valley, all noncritical loads (such as concessions operations) are shed. Concessions equipment that has backup generation uses those backups until commercial power is restored.
Yosemite has many critical systems that, without emergency backup power, would not allow the park to accomplish its mission. Park infrastructure including sewage lift stations, water and wastewater treatment facilities, emergency communications/dispatch, clinic, internet, and cell service are some of the services that rely on backup power. Yosemite Valley includes the most complex of these systems and is the hub of all support infrastructure required to support all outlying systems. This, in combination with its underground system, makes it a high priority candidate for generation during extended power outages.
During parkwide power outages High Voltage and Utilities personnel must provide 24-hour shift coverage to maintain over two dozen emergency backup generators throughout all districts of the park, each of which is critical to emergency functions with zero tolerance for failure. Bringing generation to Yosemite Valley provides redundancy for seven of these critical generators. This allows Utilities personnel to get necessary rest between shifts and respond to other areas or failures as needed.
If there are any questions about PSPS events in general or related park actions, please email FMD Customer Service Center (FMD_Customer_Service_Center@nps.gov).