VIDEO: Valley County has launched an interactive emergency management system designed to improve communication during wildfire evacuations as the 2025 fire season gets underway. The new system features an online map on the county’s website where residents and visitors can search their address to determine their evacuation zone and current alert level. The map uses live data to display evacuation statuses ranging from “Ready” to “Set” to “Go.”
Emergency Manager Juan Bonilla said the county has been developing the system since 2022. “All of us are pretty ecstatic that we got this going, and we hope we never have to use it, but it’s there if we need it,” Bonilla said. The interactive map includes a “Find My Zone” tool that allows users to enter any address within Valley County to identify their evacuation zone. During a wildfire, evacuations will be ordered based on these predetermined zones. “You could be a visitor or someone that’s just here in the summer, and just put in your actual address location. It’ll actually tell you what zone you’re in currently,” Bonilla said. Emergency responders will continue door-to-door notifications during wildfire events, particularly in urgent evacuation situations.
