Transportation is a critical part of staying safe during climate-driven emergencies such as wildfires, extreme heat, cold spells, and floods. Individuals whose homes are unsafe during these events must be able to travel to safer locations, sometimes with pets or medical equipment. However, many vulnerable residents in Lake County—such as unhoused individuals, seniors, people with disabilities, and those who rely on durable medical equipment—often face significant transportation barriers. Addressing these challenges is essential to ensuring that all community members can access safe spaces during emergencies.
Key issues and strategies for Lake County
Transportation services during CDEs
Individuals and household transportation plans
Identification and evacuations of homebound individuals
1. Transportation services during CDEs
Issues in Lake County
- Public transportation options are limited in routes, schedules, and capacity—especially during emergencies.
- Rideshare options like Uber or Lyft have very limited driver availability in the region.
- Programs such as Lake Links and Pay-Your-Pal serve seniors and people with disabilities, but do not cover rides to resilience centers. They also require enrollment, which may be inaccessible or not well-publicized.
- Shuttle services operated by peer support centers or nonprofit organizations may exist but may not be mobilized during CDEs.
Strategies Identified
A. Expand eligibility and uses for existing programs
Update Pay-Your-Pal and Lake Links to allow:
- Reimbursement for rides to resilience centers and hospitals during CDEs
- Broader eligibility during emergencies—not just for elderly or disabled riders
B. Make programs more accessible
- Simplify the application process with online forms, multilingual materials, and in-person support at senior centers, Tribal offices, and community hubs
- Increase outreach to both potential riders and volunteer drivers through trusted messengers, events, and local media
C. Coordinate transit with resilience centers
- Align transit routes and schedules with the location and operating hours of resilience centers
- Encourage collaboration between public transit agencies and center operators to develop emergency-ready plans
D. Explore private and community-based solutions
- Support nonprofit or Tribal-operated shuttle services that can serve high-need populations during CDEs
- Pilot community ride-match programs or neighborhood transportation networks for shared evacuation support
- Work with neighborhoods, Tribal communities, senior centers, and faith-based groups to match people with transportation needs to those willing to help.
- Encourage drivers in the community to register as support volunteers or apply for reimbursement programs.
- Consider piloting local ride-match systems during high-risk seasons, especially for wildfire-prone areas
E. Assess transit accessibility
- Map current transit routes against resilience center locations to identify gaps
- Develop targeted strategies to increase access in underserved or remote areas
2. Individuals and household transportation plans
Issues in Lake County
- Many residents—especially older adults, low-income households, or those with disabilities—do not have reliable transportation.
- People often rely on informal support networks, such as friends or neighbors, that may not be dependable in a crisis.
- Public transit options are limited and may not meet the needs of all residents during evacuations.
- Individuals with medical equipment, pets, or livestock require specialized transportation planning.
- Unhoused or socially isolated individuals often lack access to phones, information, or contacts to make a plan
Strategies Identified
A. Integrate transportation into emergency preparedness outreach
- Include transportation planning as a core component of preparedness trainings, workshops, and materials.
- Encourage individuals to develop primary and backup evacuation plans, including identifying drivers and public or community options.
- Provide translated and accessible planning guides for people with disabilities or limited English proficiency.
B. Promote and assist with program enrollment
- Help residents sign up for transportation support programs such as Lake Links and Pay-Your-Pal, which reimburses drivers for helping with essential trips
- Assist people with disabilities in identifying vehicles and services that can accommodate durable medical equipment or mobility needs.
C. Address equity and accessibility
Prioritize outreach to residents who are:
- Unhoused or unstably housed
- Living in remote or hard-to-reach areas
- Without phones, internet, or reliable communication access
Develop alternative communication and coordination strategies (e.g., printed flyers, door-to-door outreach, partnerships with food banks and clinics).
3. Identification and evacuations of homebound individuals
Issues in Lake County
There is no centralized registry or database of transportation-limited households in Lake County.
Emergency responders often do not have access to existing data about individuals who may need help evacuating, such as:
- People without vehicles
- Residents with disabilities or mobility impairments
- Individuals who rely on medical equipment
While some data may exist across senior centers, Tribal programs, and county social services, it is often fragmented, siloed, or not shareable in real time.
This information gap puts lives at risk during fast-moving events like wildfires or heat waves that coincide with power outages, when people may need evacuation or access to cooling and medical care.
Strategies Identified
A. Explore centralized data solutions
Evaluate technical, legal, and operational options to create a centralized database or registry that:
- Identifies residents with transportation challenges
- Includes individuals with special evacuation needs, such as large durable medical equipment or animal/livestock transport
- Maintains data privacy and consent protections
Unhoused individuals will not be included in address-based registries; parallel strategies are needed to support this population through street outreach, peer networks, or NGO partnerships.
B. Coordinate across partners
- Partner with Tribal governments, county social services, senior centers, and healthcare providers to identify existing data sources and build collaborative data-sharing agreements
- Develop a cross-sector task force to assess data integration needs and permissions Community trust is critical. Communications with partners and the public should be culturally appropriate and emphasize that the goal is to save lives, not collect personal data for unrelated purposes.
C. Assess geographic gaps
- Map current public transportation coverage against known residential areas
- Identify “transit deserts”—areas where outreach, support, and emergency planning must be prioritized
D. Prepare for emergency use
- Establish protocols for how emergency responders can access and use this information during climate-driven emergencies
- Conduct training and simulations to ensure first responders, dispatchers, and community organizations know how to act quickly when these residents need help
- The registry should include details about special transportation needs, such as wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, power-dependent equipment, or pets/livestock.