Public Works

Ashley Ahlquist - Emergency Manager

News & Alerts


Forest Service News Release

Forest Service News Release

PRESCOTT, AZ, March 20, 2023 - Fire managers on the Bradshaw Ranger District plan to take advantage of the moisture received and predicted to burn debris piles in the Prescott Basin. Ignitions are planned to start tomorrow, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, and continue through Friday, March 31, 2023, as favorable weather conditions allow. Fire managers expect smoke impacts to be light and visible from multiple locations including Prescott, Williamson Valley, Chino Valley, and surrounding areas. Pile burning helps to reduce hazardous fuels in the wildland urban interface and increases ecosystem and community resilience.

The purpose of this project is to reduce hazardous fuels following thinning and fuelwood removal. Reducing hazardous fuels will help reduce the threat of high-severity, high-intensity wildfire to the public, adjacent private property, and communities. Burning of debris left over from brush crush and thinning projects requires moisture in the surrounding vegetation and typically produces much lighter smoke than broadcast burning.

Messages will be posted on social media when managed fires are ignited on the Prescott National Forest:

·       Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PrescottNF/

·       Twitter https://twitter.com/PrescottNF

For fire information please call (928) 925-1111; or stay up to date on Prescott National Forest news by checking the Prescott NF website and following us on Facebook and Twitter.


Flooding Expected for Oak Creek & Wet Beaver Creek

Flooding Expected for Oak Creek & Wet Beaver Creek

Another storm is moving in today through Thursday, with more flooding anticipated. Be prepared. 

 

The National Weather Service reports that periods of heavy rain and snow melt from Wednesday through Thursday will lead to rises in area waterways, contributing to the potential for minor to moderate flooding in some areas along Oak Creek and Wet Beaver Creek. 

The Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated for essential personnel since the beginning of the Winter Storm event to support needs throughout the County, including mitigating potential flooding issues and coordinating with local public safety officials.  

Oak Creek and Wet Beaver Creek are expected to exceed the flood stage on Thursday morning at approximately 3 am, with the most significant flood potential in Cornville and Rimrock. Near Sedona, water levels will reach terraces near Tlaquepaque Bridge and several residential and commercial properties near Tlaquepaque Bridge. Near Cornville, significant flooding of the RV Park near Page Springs Road is expected. Water near Rimrock will likely impact ground-level residences along Rim Rock Drive and Beaver Vista. Portions of the Verde River will have elevated flows and may approach flood stages. 

Water levels will not reach that of the 1993 flood event; however, they will be close to the 2019 flood event in some areas.   

Waters are swift running and dangerously cold due to snow melt and runoff. Residents should avoid all waterways. Localized flooding can be expected on streets and may increase pothole activity. Appropriate Public Works Departments continue to address issues as they arise.  Do not drive on flooded streets, washes, or low-water crossings. Obey all traffic, detour, and roadblock signs.  Turn around, don't drown. 

We encourage residents to remain prepared by: 

  • Developing a family plan and having emergency telephone numbers available.  
  • Assemble an emergency supply kit with enough food, water, and other supplies for at least 72 hours. In addition, include essential medicines and life-saving medical equipment. For a complete list, please visit: www.ready.gov/kit 
  • Assemble a go-bag in the event an evacuation becomes necessary. Remember the 5 P’s: Persons/Pets, Personal Items, Important Papers, Prescriptions, and Priceless Items. 
  • Sign up for your local Emergency Notification System, including alertYAVAPAI, at www.ycsoaz.gov/ENS and follow reputable and reliable sources for current information.  
  • If applicable, consider moving your vehicle to higher ground to avoid flood damage.  

YCOEM will coordinate with the American Red Cross to open an Evacuation Center or Shelter if an evacuation becomes necessary.  

Sandbags are available at various locations. Availability will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. For a list of sandbag locations, please visit the YCOEM website: https://yavapaiaz.gov/publicworks/emergency-management. Expect to fill and transport your sandbags. Please bring a shovel.  

For the 7-Day Forecast, visit the National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/fgz/ 

For creek flow updates, visit the Yavapai County Flood Control District website: https://yavapaiaz.gov/ycflood/weather

 

 


YCOEM Hosting When Disaster Strikes: Prepare, Act, Survive April 17 - 18, 2023

YCOEM Hosting When Disaster Strikes: Prepare, Act, Survive April 17 - 18, 2023

This course is designed to prepare individuals who may be directly affected by a disaster help themselves, their family and other community members. Participants will learn how to develop a family preparedness plan, practice self-rescue, perform search and light rescue techniques, and understand the recovery process. 

Prepare - Survivor vs victim, Community threats, Community response capability, Family preparedness plan

Persevere - Disaster survival, Individual assessment (SALT), Self-rescue, Search and light rescue techniques

Protect - Scene safety and damage assessment, Neighborhood accountability, Interacting with responders,

Recovery and resiliency

Suggested Audience - The target audience encompasses the whole community approach, including, but not restricted to:
• Church Groups
• Volunteer Fire Departments
• Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
• Youth Groups
• American Red Cross (ARC)
• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)
and members of the general community who may find themselves in the impact zone of an incident and in the absence of emergency responders.
This training does not qualify the participants to serve in an emergency responder role.

Self-registration through the state’s online registration system at dematraining.az.gov is required. Enrollment no later than 14 days prior to the start of the course is recommended. New users will be required to create an account prior to enrollment. Instructions are included on page 2 of this bulletin. For assistance, contact the DEMA Training Branch at 602-464-6225 or training@azdema.gov. This training offering is provided at no cost to eligible participants.

Training Announcement


The Office of Emergency Management is within the Public Works Division. Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management’s principle responsibilities are in supporting the safety of our citizens and visitors, protection of our infrastructure, as well as our environmental and cultural resources, and assisting in community recovery efforts after an incident occurs.

This is accomplished through supporting response to “all hazard” incidents and special events and preparedness through planning, training, and exercise development.

Priority is given to the area of mitigation (lessening the effect) of hazards in order to achieve disaster resilient communities, capable of responding to and recovering from any incident. Achieving this is only accomplished in cooperation and coordination with our first responder organizations, community groups and leaders, Yavapai County leadership and organizational partners, State level leadership and stakeholders, and finally the relationships with our Federal and National supporting organizations.

Our work is focused on the following hazards:

  • Natural
  • Technological
  • Man-Made Threats

Plans

  • Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) 
    Yavapai Communities Wildfire Protection Plan (YCWPP) 
    Developed collaboratively by numerous stakeholders and identifies and prioritizes issues such as wildfire response, hazard mitigation, community preparedness, or structure protection, etc. - or all of the above.
  • Hazard Mitigation Plan 
    The Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan was written to identify the various hazards that impact communities within Yavapai County. It also assess the vulnerability and risk posed by those hazards to community-wide human and structural assets to develop future mitigation strategies.
  • Emergency Operations Plan 
    Our Emergency Operations Plan serves as an all-hazard regional plan that describes how Yavapai County will organize and respond to emergency events. It describes the coordination for resources and activities for large-scale events.

What is a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)?

Schedule and Agendas

Local Emergency Planning Committees are part of a Federally legislated process to help manage hazardous material incident reporting and hazardous material preparedness throughout Yavapai County. The United States Congress initiated this legislation in 1986 after a disaster in Bhopal, India where thousands of people died from a chemical accident. To prevent similar incidents in any of our communities, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) – also known as SARA Title III. This process establishes requirements for private companies and all levels of government to collaborate for emergency planning and reporting of hazardous material use in local communities.

The LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) is the link for any hazardous materials incident between citizens, industry members and the government. The membership is formed by local area residents representing public safety, the environment, and the economy.

More specifically, the five voting segments of this committee include as a minimum:

  • Elected State and Local Officials
  • Civil Defense, Firefighting, First Aid, Health, Local Environmental, Hospital and Transportation Personnel
  • Broadcast and Print Media
  • Community Groups (HOA’s, Faith Based Groups, Community Based Groups, etc.)
  • Owners and Operators of Facilities Subject to the Requirements of EPCRA

Primary functions of this committee include reviewing plans for facilities who report hazardous materials to the Arizona State Emergency Response Commission (Facilities who Conduct Business with Regulated Hazardous Materials) and helping establish relationships to maintain transparency before a hazardous material incident occurs.

Terms Of UsePrivacy StatementCopyright 2023 by Yavapai County Government
Back To Top