Camp Fire survivor: We need to be more prepared

So far this summer, Central Oregon had seen a relatively mild fire season, but are you prepared in case the worst happens?

Barb West, whose home in Paradise, California, was among the many destroyed by the deadly Camp Fire last year, said we can do more.

West lives in Bend now, and she spoke Tuesday morning to of a room full of forest and fire officials about her experience — and what we can learn from it.

She said there are some key things to do that people might not think about, in the event of a wildfire like the one she survived.

“Something I did not know, because I was in gridlock for 5 1/2 hours, is if you can’t get out due to gridlock, go to an open area,” West said. “For instance, the Costco parking lot, Walmart parking lot. Places like that.”

West warned that in a worst-case scenario, there could be gridlock in Bend because of the narrow streets and the few main routes to get in and out of town.

She also said to have a list of essentials ready to take from your home before evacuating, like wills, checkbooks, hard drives and other important documents and files.

West also stressed the importance of registering with the local government’s emergency phone alerts, which she said allowed her crucial time to evacuate.

You can register for Deschutes County’s alert system here.