When the National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning (RFW), the alert often covers a large geographic area, making it difficult for some to know whether their home is actually in or just near the warning zone. To help answer that question, Fremont High School junior Vedant Thakker created redflag-check.info.
The site and app let users check an address to see whether it’s inside the warning zone, in a downwind threat area, adjacent to the warning zone, or outside the current warning area, using live National Weather Service data.
This free tool is intended for informational purposes during Red Flag Warning events. The Oakland Firesafe Council and Vedant encourage residents to rely on AC Alert, Genasys Protect, and other official emergency notifications for evacuation orders and public safety information. Remember that even if you are outside a Red Flag Warning area, you may still be at risk from a wind-driven wildfire. Stay informed, have a plan, and be prepared.
Kudos to Vedant for recognizing a need and volunteering his time and programming skills to create a new resource for our community!