South Lake Tahoe, CA…The City of South Lake Tahoe’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Caldor Incident Command Post (ICP) have received a number of questions regarding tourism and the impact on potential evacuation warnings or orders. The City understands these concerns and wants to assure the public that tourism has been a topic of discussion at our EOC. The City has been working with the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA) and the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association to identify when hotels would be encouraged to cancel reservations and for what duration. We have been informed by the LTVA that the local hotels have seen many cancellations and are currently at limited occupancies, with a number of those being evacuees from the Highway 50 corridor and public safety officials participating in the incident response efforts. This is also the case with some of the RV and camper-trailers in town. “We want all visitors to have a memorable experience in our destination and truly enjoy the Jewel of the Sierra as it is meant to be enjoyed,” said Jerry Bindel, Board Chair of LTVA.

Tourists who still plan to come to the Tahoe Basin need to understand that the air quality levels are extremely unhealthy, many of the beaches around the lake are closed, and some businesses have temporarily closed. We encourage visitors to regularly check www.airnow.gov, www.edcgov.us, and www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/ to stay informed of current conditions in the South Shore. It is also critical that any visitors who come to the South Lake Tahoe area register with El Dorado County Code Red so that they can be immediately notified should evacuation warnings or orders be initiated.

Visitors and residents can sign up for CodeRed at ready.edso.org or by scanning the QR Code.

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