By NEIL KENNEDY

2020 was a year to remember . There were at least two major developments that most of us thought we would never have to deal with in Charbonneau — a pandemic and being under a Level 1 Wildfire Evacuation .

All of Clackamas County incurred different levels of evacuation orders , which was also the case for at least half a million people in Oregon , a tenth of the state ’ s population . Over 40,000 Oregonians had to evacuate their homes . Molalla and Colton were under Level 3 , ‘ Go Now ’ evacuation orders . Canby , Oregon City and Sandy were at Level 2 , indicating that residents should ‘ Get Set ’ to evacuate , and should prepare to leave at a moment ’ s notice .

Other than evacuations , the smoke and hazardous air quality were at times worse than the most hazardous air classifications available . In other words , the air quality was literally off the charts , in the wrong direction .

Preparing for future wildfires

Wildfires will likely move closer to residential areas as summer temperatures climb to new record highs . So how can we prepare ?

Clackamas County has a website for viewing

evacuation maps , signing up for Public Alerts , reading tips , and finding local resources : https :// www . clackamas . us / wildfires .

Oregon State also provides information : https :// wildfire . oregon . gov / Pages / prepare . aspx .

Understanding the three evacuation levels is important

Level 1 — Get Ready — prepare yourself , monitor the situation , pack your important documents and valuables . Those needing more time to evacuate should consider acting early .

Level 2 — Get Set — Be ready to leave with little notice and relocate to a safe place outside of the affected area . You will have limited time to gather necessary items and it may become unsafe to do so .

Level 3 — Go ! — There is extreme danger in your area — evacuate now ! Leave immediately , it is unsafe for you to stay in the area .

Prepare in advance for evacuation .

Assemble a ‘ to-go ’ bag

I carry a bag in two vehicles that are suitable in an evacuation . These ‘ to-go ’ bags are also usable if I can ’ t get home for some reason . A ‘ to-go ’ bag has items that are crucial for shortterm sustenance , support and usefulness . For instance , a three-day supply of food and water , maps , prescriptions , eyeglasses , cash , flashlight , solar / battery-powered radio and important documents . I would hopefully have time to pack valuables , pictures and my laptop for an evacuation .

It ’ s a good idea to store important documents and pictures on a thumb drive that ’ s stored away from your home , in case the home is lost to fire .

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