 As firefighters continue to make progress on devastating fires that scarred communities across northern California, the State Operations Center remains activated. Some evacuated residents, though, are anxiously waiting to be allowed back into their neighborhoods. As they do, risks still remain. From the fire and the damage that it's caused, you know, we want to encourage them to, you know, number one, drive at a slow speed, but also to have a high visual horizon. The roadways have been affected. You know, the fires cause damage to the roads, so if they're looking ahead, they can see potential damage that's approaching them. Be sure when re-entering, do so with caution. The fires have caused considerable damage not only to homes, but also to roads, power lines, and have loosened debris. There's going to be intersections that are missing signs. You know, the stoplights might not be working, so they need to proceed with caution as they enter into the area. And, you know, there's also the potential that utility poles that are still standing could have been weakened by the fire, and, you know, those are just some of the things that they need to think about. To ensure public safety, CHP is asking that residents returning home are mindful of their work still being done. If you don't have to be in the area, I know there's a lot of people that have an interest in going and seeing what the damage was. But, you know, we still have a lot of heavy equipment. We still have, you know, a lot of emergency personnel that are working in there. So if you don't have to be there, we urge you just, you know, to stay away from the area so we can continue with our recovery efforts. When the time comes to determine when or if it's time to repopulate communities, notification will come from the appropriate agencies. There's going to be website information that's posted almost on a daily basis. The Department of Health and Human Services, they're working around the clock as well to try to determine, you know, what a safe time is for people to go back into their neighborhoods. For more, visit our blog at OESNews.com and follow us on social media for the latest updates on statewide wildfires.