Originally Posted By: hikermor
Your situation may very, but in my neck of the woods (SoCal), "mandatory" evacs aren't all that mandatory. if you choose to shelter in place, you are allowed to remain and no one will order you from your home at gunpoint,etc. If necessary, resources will probably be diverted to your rescue and salvation - resources that could better be utilized in dealing with the emergency. ...


Those resources will be sent if it is safe for the responders. At some point it might become very obvious why the mandatory evacuation was called and at that point officialdom may choose to not respond due to safety concerns. Some folks will stay in their home when the neighborhood is burning and at some point evacuation becomes impractical.

I’m also in SoCal and like Hikermor, when fire season comes I keep a close watch. I’ve had my truck packed and ready (w/ full tank of fuel) and could have left in minutes of a mandatory evacuation order. So far this little enclave has only been subject to voluntary evacuation and I’ve never had to leave. For the 2003 Cedar Fire I felt like the only guy still on the block (did I miss something?) — then a neighbor who happened to be a fireman came home to clean up and get a good night’s sleep. Even then I could smell the smoke.