AUBURN, CA, EVACUATION PLAN

Abstract

Auburn is a small but famous gold mining and railroad town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Placer County, California. The city has seen recent and historically reoccurring wildfires. In 2021, 1.5 million acres burned in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a new record. Auburn consists of three (3) nonadjacent and nonoverlapping sections or parcels of land. The three (3) centroids of each section of Auburn are identified and used in three (3) evacuation scenarios: First, Auburn is evacuated away from the three (3) centroids. We look at how far evacuees can reach in 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes using emergency vehicle travel times, so signal lights, one-way streets, etc., are ignored. Second, we evacuate away from the three (3) centroids while also avoiding previous burn areas. Third, we evacuate Auburn toward the only area hospital, a structure likely to be defended from fire by first responders. Also, some evacuees might require medical attention. Future work includes looking at how far emergency vehicles from places like fire stations can reach in 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes, providing a coverage area for first responders.