Candidates say Missoula is prepared but cite needs for better outreach and evacuation planning
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Forum candidates generally praised local first responders but recommended improved alerting, neighborhood evacuation planning and continued outreach on fire, flood and chemical-incident risks. No policy actions were adopted at the forum.
When asked whether Missoula is adequately prepared for disasters such as wildfire or severe flooding, candidates said the city’s first responders are capable but identified gaps in alerting, evacuation-route planning and preparedness outreach.
Rebecca Dawson described local response capacity as uneven: “Yes and no... I'd give us probably a B plus on where we're at right now,” and encouraged homeowners to maintain defensible space. Justin Ponton praised local officials’ competence but urged better public outreach on emergency-alert systems and practical evacuation steps; he recommended monitoring tools such as the WATCH Duty app for wildfire alerts.
Betsy Kraske highlighted neighborhood concerns about evacuation routes in Ward 1 and recommended continued education and neighborhood-level outreach. Lucas Moody praised public information on fire safety but raised concern about other disaster types—he cited train chemical spills elsewhere as examples of incidents for which the city should plan.
Why it matters: Wildfire, flood and hazardous-incident risks are material to public safety, emergency operations and neighborhood planning. Better outreach and clear evacuation routes affect resident safety during emergencies.
Discussion vs. decisions: Candidates offered recommendations for outreach and preparedness but did not enact any binding changes at the forum.
Ending: Candidates supported building on existing emergency-capacity strengths while improving public alerting and neighborhood-specific evacuation planning.