To get emergency information, call the Sonoma County emergency hotline number, 527-3856, or turn to your battery powered AM radio. But you may not get official assistance right away. When disaster strikes, emergency personnel go into action, dealing with situations as they come up. They quickly have their hands full. Don't wait long to turn to friends and neighbors for any help they can offer.
Disasters disrupt normal avenues of communication and information.
In the early stages of a disaster, reliable information is hard to get. That depends on the scope and nature of the disaster. During the first confusing minutes, fire fighters are too busy to confer with sheriff's deputies, and visa versa. No one has time to stand back and discuss the situation. Management of a disaster changes as the level of seriousness changes.