Question 1

What is an Evacuation Zone, and how can I find what my Evacuation Zone is?

Accepted Answer

Rossmoor is divided into 8 Evacuation Zones to aid first responders. Residents can find their zone numbers on their entry signs or on their streets. The zones are a  communications tool for fire, police, and the County’s Community Warning System (CWS) will attempt to contact all landlines and devices in the impacted area.

If you open either the Rossmoor Guide to Wildfire Preparedness & Evacuation, or the Guide to Earthquake Preparedness & Survival (on the EPO Website Home Page), you will find a map showing all 8 Evacuation Zones in Rossmoor on the last page of each of the two Guides.

Here is the Evacuation Zone Map:

To check the current evacuation status of your Evacuation Zone, go to https://community.zonehaven.com or use your cell phone camera to click on the QR code to find out your Evacuation Zone number.  Enter your address and the program will show your zone and any current information. This is how you can monitor your evacuation status and know when you can return to your home after an evacuation. Your evacuation zone number will be something like: WCR-E003.

Question 2

Are there any Alternate Exits out of Rossmoor besides the Main Gate on Rossmoor Parkway?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but most of them are not passable if you have a car, even one with four-wheel drive.  The ones not passable for cars are over rough territory that allow emergency vehicles, like bulldozers and fire trucks.

All of those emergency exits have locks on them that can only be opened by the Fire Department, the Police Department, and the City of Walnut Creek.

Rossmoor Walnut Creek (RWC) does not have keys to open those gates.

You should avoid trying to use the Alternate Access Roads, even if they are passable for cars, because you could be preventing the emergency vehicles from entering Rossmoor and doing their job.

Note that this map was first presented at a Firewise Town Hall meeting held in the Event Center on June 10, 2024, and the full video of that meeting can be found on the EPO Website on the ZOOM REPLAYS page for 2024.

The full Firewise Town Hall YouTube recording on our website is around 1-hour and 44-minutes long.  However, you can watch the roughly 14-minute YouTube video of just Tom Cashion's presentation on Evacuation Routes which discusses the map above.

Note that on June 10, 2024 the managing organization was the Golden Rain Foundation (GRF), and Tom Cashion was the Rossmoor GRF Manager of Public Safety.  In 2025 the managing organization was renamed to Rossmoor Walnut Creek (RWC), and Tom Cashion is the RWC Director of Public Safety.

Here is a LINK to the 14-minute video:

Question 3

What should I put in my Grab-'N-Go bag?  What do I I need to "Shelter-in-Place", and where can I get those emergency supplies?

Accepted Answer

You can find the answers to these questions on the RESIDENT RESOURCES page of the EPO Website (rossmoorepo.org):

EMERGENCY SUPPLIES (SUGGESTIONS)
​
FRS radios (Walkie Talkies) for communicating with your neighbors in an emergency.  Recommended
FEMA Emergency Supply List
"Get Ready Walnut Creek" (C.E.R.T. Emergency Kit video)
Emergency Kit Supply Checklist (FEMA and DHS)
Disaster Supplies List (Ready Care Company)
Build a Kit (home and car) (Homeland Security)
Evacuation "Grab N Go Bag" (suggested) - one per person in household
Emergency Preparedness & Grab n Go TIP SHEET
"Be Prepared at Home" checklist for emergency supplies (CERT - Walnut Creek)
"SF 72" - Emergency Disaster Supplies
Picture of types of emergency supplies to have on hand ("Patti's Pantry")
       
  WHERE TO PURCHASE SUPPLIES
4patriots.com
Amazon
BePrepared.com - Emergency essentials
Emergencykits.com
Ready Care (a local company - Lisa Katzki)
Red Cross - Supplies and products
REI
"Safe T Kits" Store
Wirecutter reviews: "Best Emergency Supplies”

Question 4

How can I open my garage door if the power is off?

Accepted Answer

Case 1 - IF YOUR GARAGE IS CONNECTED TO YOUR HOUSE, so that you can get inside the garage when the power is out.  The following video shows how you can open the garage door if it was closed when the power was lost, and how to close the garage door if it was open when the power was lost:
Here is the LINK to a 2-minute YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwB727W8jow
 
Case 2 - IF YOUR GARAGE IS NOT CONNECTED TO YOUR HOUSE, but is a stand-alone structure, it is a little more complicated.  Just like in Case 1, you need to disconnect the garage door opener from the garage door by pulling down on a rope or cable to release the latch connecting the door from the garage door opener motor.  However, in this case you need a special key to unlock a cable that is accessed from outside the garage, typically in the center of the door.  Once the key is turned 90 degrees to one side, the lock and cable pops out enough for you to grab and pull it out far enough to unlatch the garage door motor from the garage door.

Here is a LINK to a roughly 2-minute YouTube video: How to Disengage a "Vault Release" garage door (for garages that have no other access to the interior besides the garage door, so you can disconnect the door from the operator when power/automation is not working so you can open the door).  This is typical of most of the stand-alone garages in Rossmoor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAXaB5srdr8

If you never received a key for your “Vault Release” garage door, or if is lost or the lock is not working, you can get replacement keys and/or locks from Vee Industries by going to the following website:
https://veeindustries.com/collections/replacement-parts-keys

Before going to the Vee Industries website – First: take a closeup picture of the lock on the outside of the garage door to determine two things – is the key hole shape (1) a vertical line (J-style keys) or (2) a cylinder (D-style keys).  Second: from the picture read the Key Number.  The vertical line key numbers range from J-01 to J-80, and the cylindrical-style keys range from 753-802 & 805.  When you order they will send you two replacement keys.

Here is what the two key types look like:

Case 3 - YOUR GARAGE DOOR OPENER HAS AN 8-HOUR BACKUP BATTERY, AND CAN SURVIVE A POWER OUTAGE.

GARAGE DOOR OPENERS BEGAN TO REQUIRE BATTERY BACKUPS IN CALIFORNIA STARTING JULY 1, 2019, DUE TO SENATE BILL NO. 969, which was enacted in response to safety concerns during power outages. This law mandates that all newly installed residential garage door openers must include a battery backup system.

If your garage door opener was installed before July 1, 2019 it probably does not have a backup battery.  However, it is possible to add just a backup battery to many manufacturers.  If you check the make and model garage door opener, you can find out if it is possible to just add a backup battery, or if you can replace the entire garage door opener.

There are many companies who will completely update and replace all of the equipment - including the springs, motors, rails, and install a new garage-door opener - with optional external digital keypad (connected to the door opener via Wi-Fi) for between $500 to $650.

Note that the external digital keypads typically take AA or AAA batteries that need to be replaced on an annual basis.  The key pads light up when the keys are pressed, and will flash to remind you that the batteries need replacing.

The new systems with a Wi-Fi connection typically come with a software app that lets you use your cell phone to check whether or not you closed your garage door, and allows you to close or open the door remotely using your cell phone.

Question 5

How can I stay connected and power my mobile phone and other electronic devices when the power is out for a long time?

Accepted Answer

There are portable power banks and chargers that you can plug in to charge them up before an emergency.  Then, when the power goes out you can re-charge your phone, tablet, or laptop.

The smaller the device, the more times you can re-charge it from a power bank.  Depending on the power bank storage capacity, you could  fully charge a mobile phone 2 to 4 times, but a tablet or laptop might only be able to be fully charged once.

On KRON4 News Rich DeMuro has a regular segment call “Rich on Tech”, and a recent episode covered portable power banks and chargers for your smart phones.

Here is a link to his 2 1/2 minute video segment: https://youtu.be/X7UScnYM2Tc

Portable solar panels that can charge your devices:

• Smaller options that produce around 20 to 40 Watts of power with USB connections to charge an external battery pack and/or cell phones and tablets – price ranges from around 30 to 60 dollars.

• Larger options (typically available for camping) that produce 100 to 400 Watts of power for use charging 12 V batteries, and providing power to RV’s. A 200 Watt portable (around 15 pounds) “Waterproof solar suitcase” can charge a 12 V battery in around 6
hours to provide 1,000 W-h of power.

There are also portable "crank" radios - that can be powered temporarily to allow you to receive emergency announcements and weather reports.

These typically come with a cable and USB cord that can be used to charge your cell phone, send messages or make a quick phone call.

One example is the crank radio sold by the Red Cross Store.  Their crank radio can be powered by turning a manual crank, or by a small solar strip on top of the radio.  It also doubles as a hand crank LED flashlight.

Here is a LINK to the Red Cross site with the details:

Links to Review Articles of Portable Solar Panels That Can Charge Your Devices

Link to Amazon showing a range of portable solar panels:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=portable+solar+panels+for+charging+mobile+devices

Portable solar chargers (reviews by CNN):
https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-portable-solar-chargers

Review of portable outdoor camping solar chargers:
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-solar-power-station

Review of portable solar chargers (review by Popular Science):
https://www.popsci.com/gear/best-portable-solar-panels/

Question 6

What is an FRS Radio, and why is it important to have one after a a major disaster?

Accepted Answer

Cell phones and home phones are great for communicating with friends and family under normal circumstances.  However, after a major disaster, like an earthquake or wildfire, they may not be working, because Cell Towers could be down, and power to provide Wi-Fi signals could also be lost for an extended period.

Family Radio Service (FRS) radios will reach anywhere within Rossmoor when cell phones aren’t work.  Their range is somewhat limited, so Rossmoor uses two separate Channels to reach all entries within Rossmoor - Channel 12 covers from Stanley Dollar Drive out to Tice Creek Blvd (North of Stanley Dollar to outside Rossmoor), and Channel 13 which covers the streets and Entries South of Stanley Dollar towrds Alamo.  FRS are generally sold two to a package - good for use when camping in a remote area where there are no cell phone signals - to keep in touch with other parties camping with you.

Here is a link to a short video that shows what a typical FRS radio looks like, and how you use the controls:  How to use a Midland FRS radio.   After watching the video, click on the back-arrow in your web browser to return to this page.

Other wireless communication options in Citizen Band (CB) radios, HAM radios, and GMRS radios.  You can find out more about FRS radios and these other wireless communication devices by checking out the Rossmoor Radio Communications Club (R2C2) website,   The club president is Ralph A Anthenien.  His email is Ralpha999@yahoo.com, and his phone number is 510-219-5542.

Question 7

How can I protect the inside of my home to make it safer in the event of an earthquake?  What do I need to prevent falling cabinets, pictures, the contents of kitchen and other cabinets being shaken out and falling?  What kinds of supplies are available, and where can I buy what I need?

Accepted Answer

The EPO hosted several presentations in 2026 that provided the answer to these questions.  Specifically, both Ron Halog’s EPO Feb 2, 2026 Meeting - “Becoming a Resilient ‘Rossmoor Prepper - Unit 2”, and Lars Eric Holm’s EPO August 3, 2026 Meeting - “Your Action Plan for The Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety”.If you go to the Zoom Meeting Replays page of the Rossmoor website (rossmoorepo.org), you will find the slides and recorded Zoom videos on the 2026 Zoom Replays page.Ron Halog’s presentation focused specifically on how to prepare your home for a disaster.  Here are the LINKS from the EPO website for the video recording and the Slides used in his presentation:Here is the LINK to the UNLISTED YouTube video - Ron’s presentation starts at 4 minutesHere is the LINK to Ron Halog’s Slides - see Slides 9 through 14Here is the LINK to ECA’s Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety - see Step 1 (page 2 of the PDF file) Lars Eric Holm’s presentation covers all Seven Steps of Your Action Plan to Earthquake Safety, but the answer to this question is in the actions for “STEP 1 - Secure Your Space”. Here are the LINKS from the EPO website for Lars Eric Hom’s video recording and the Slides used in his presentation:Here is the LINK to the UNLISTED YouTube video - Lars Eric’s presentation starts at 6 minutesHere is the LINK to Lars Eric's Slides - see Slides 13 through 22.  Also note that Slide 20 includes                     8 hyperlinks to “Secure Your Space Guide & Worksheet” including How to Secure:                     Tall Furniture, Televisions/Monitors, Hanging Objects, Small Objects, Refrigerators,                     Cabinet Doors, Storage Racks, and Water HeaterHere is the LINK to ECA’s Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety - see Step 1 (page 2 of the PDF file)                                      Here is an overview of all Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety

HOME PAGE

Frequently asked Questions

What is an Evacuation Zone, and how can I find what my Evacuation Zone is?

Are there any Alternate Exits out of Rossmoor besides the Main Gate on Rossmoor Parkway?

What should I put in my Grab-'N-Go bag? What do I I need to "Shelter-in-Place", and where can I get those emergency supplies?

How can I open my garage door if the power is off?

How can I stay connected and power my mobile phone and other electronic devices when the power is out for a long time?

What is an FRS Radio, and why is it important to have one after a a major disaster?

How can I protect the inside of my home to make it safer in the event of an earthquake? What do I need to prevent falling cabinets, pictures, the contents of kitchen and other cabinets being shaken out and falling? What kinds of supplies are available, and where can I buy what I need?