Locals caught up in resultant traffic after the occasional car crash, tree trimming, or broken water main know what it can be like to navigate Moraga when one of its major arteries is out of action.
As we wrote last month, the pros most concerned with making sure residents are able to get out of Dodge safely in the event of an emergency are testing our capacity for doing so this Saturday.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock and prefer not to watch the news lately, you should know why: Bad things can happen to cities and towns and worse things can happen when everyone takes to the roads at once.
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Moraga Police Department, Orinda Police Department, staff at the Moraga Country Club and Lamorinda CERT are coordinating Saturday’s drill – which will simulate emergency conditions and test our ability to steer clear.
Country Club residents, just one of 23 evacuation quadrants identified by emergency services in Moraga, will get a simulated Evacuation Order via the Contra Costa County Community Warning System and be directed toward Orinda on two lanes of traffic on Moraga Way from St. Andrews Drive to Glorietta Blvd. – opened specifically to hasten our exit from town.
Any and all traffic on Moraga Way from St. Andrews Drive to Glorietta Blvd. will only be allowed to join the evacuation procession by turning toward Orinda, police say. Traffic will not be allowed to drive toward Moraga from any streets or driveways inside the exercise route from approximately 7 to 8 a.m.
After the exercise, first responders will evaluate their evacuation protocols and residents will be asked to complete a survey detailing their experience.
Unclear on the concept…Studying disruption to traffic patterns on Saturday morning at 7 am. I was not disrupted as it was Saturday morning at 7 am, and I was asleep. I am guessing that the evacuation was an unrivaled success!