SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY — October 26, 2026. County emergency managers are urging residents to learn an unfamiliar but potentially important detail before winter storms: their evacuation zone. San Joaquin County’s Office of Emergency Services announced a Know Your Zone campaign October 19 and says future alerts will increasingly use zone codes rather than long lists of streets.

Why the county is changing its approach

During large floods, fires or other emergencies, warning areas may not align neatly with city boundaries or neighborhood names. A map-based zone code lets residents compare an official warning to their own address. This may be especially useful in unincorporated parts of the county, where roads can be far apart and locations are easily confused.

County officials highlighted winter flooding associated with possible El Niño conditions as one reason for preparation. That does not mean a flood has been ordered for a particular neighborhood today, or that all locations within a single ZIP code share the same evacuation instructions.

What residents can do now

Visit sjready.org/knowyourzone, use the official lookup to find your residence’s zone, and note the code in a place available during a power or mobile-service outage. Also review how to receive county alerts and make a household evacuation plan. Do not circulate a manually copied zone map without checking whether it is current.

During an emergency, follow the actual evacuation status and instructions from county authorities. Primary source: San Joaquin County OES, announcement dated October 19. This is a county program, not a new warning limited to Stockton.

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