BEND, Ore. — Drivers who have spent time in Sunriver know how easy it is to get turned around while trying to navigate the maze of traffic circles and side streets in the community.
While the streets make for leisurely driving for residents, they also create unique challenges in the event of an emergency evacuation from a wildfire or natural disaster.
With only two roads leading into and out of Sunriver, community leaders have had to be creative when developing an evacuation plan, utilizing roads managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the event of a worst-case scenario. However, critics and managing agencies alike noted that the main roads can get congested when widely used, and using unpaved roads during an evacuation can be a dicey proposition, particularly in a community with a lot of tourists.
Doug Hoschek, a longtime Sunriver resident and a vocal critic of the community’s approach to fire management, said area officials need to take this more seriously.