“It’s just something that’s a continual process, we know that. “Disaster unfortunately has become a part of our lives in a very huge way,” Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said. Organizers hope to turn the community gathering based on one in San Mateo County into an annual event, highlighting the need to prepare for disasters like the fires that killed 24 residents and destroyed more than 5,300 homes in the North Bay nearly two years ago.

Twenty-three months after the October 2017 firestorm, more than 4,500 people were estimated to have flocked to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds to learn how they can better plan for the next disaster - whether it’s another catastrophic wildfire, or major flood or earthquake. The need to be ready on a moment’s notice with accurate information, emergency supplies and safe evacuation routes was the message public safety and elected leaders emphasized Sunday during the county’s first-ever Sonoma Ready Day.