San Clemente Officials Publicize Emergency Escape Routes

The following is the full text of a release from the City of San Clemente outlining escape routes and procedures in the event citizens have to evacuate the city in an emergency.

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Recent events in Japan have raised many questions among San Clemente residents. The City seeks to remind the public that it maintains an Emergency Plan which provides the framework for responding to major emergencies or disasters. This plan outlines a strategy to prepare for, respond to, and recover from any emergency or disaster that may affect the City.

Due to San Clemente’s proximity to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), one such plan includes events at SONGS. In the unlikely event of an emergency at SONGS, an order to evacuate may be given to persons in the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ), the roughly 10-mile radius around SONGS. Individuals who live and/or work in the EPZ would be directed north to locations outside the cities of San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano towards the Reception and Decontamination Center at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Interstate 5 and Pacific Coast Highway are the primary designated evacuation routes. Traffic would be heavily controlled by law enforcement officers on surface streets leading to Interstate 5 and at all on highway on ramps.

Northbound traffic would be stopped at SR 78 in Oceanside and southbound traffic would be stopped at the I-5/405 interchange. The population at Camp Pendleton that resides within the EPZ would be directed south to an on-base reception center. Information on the evacuation routes is readily available on the City’s website at www.san-clemente.org, in the AT&T phone book under the white pages and on the SONGS Community website at www.SongsCommunity.com.

While the City is ready to respond and recover from an emergency, there are also a number of resources available to help the community to prepare for an emergency:

• Take the time now to make a family emergency plan and emergency supply kit. Learn about how to make a family plan and kit by visiting www.ReadyOC.org, Orange County’s emergency planning webpage.
• You can also sign-up to receive emergency messages from the City at www.AlertOC.org. For more information, contact the City’s Emergency Planning Officer at 949-361-6109 or at TuckerJ@san-clemente.org.

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