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8 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | DECEMBER 2018 By Clare Mendez, Resident We Californians know the feeling. The sound of your house shaking and then the jolt. At first I wait to see if I need to take cover or if it's just a small tremor. I've been warned "the big one" is coming. The San Jacinto Fault, which runs from the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County southeast through Hemet toward the Mexican border, is one of the region's most active fault lines. October 18, our Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee (EPAC) members and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of qualified residents provided training and practiced hands-on drills to SDV volunteers on how to assist you in the case of a large earthquake. There are several things you can do ahead of time to prepare for such a disaster. Some of the most important provisions would include water, a first aid kit, and medicines prescribed by your doctor. It's advised to have at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking (more, they say, if you are in a warm climate) and another gallon for washing wounds. It's possible there won't be water service for a week or more. Around the house you should brace top heavy furniture such as TVs, entertainment centers and china cabinets. Electricity will most likely be cut off so you need to have plenty of battery or solar powered lights and a radio. Furthermore, earthquake insurance is available through the California Earthquake Authority. One last thing, at the drill in October, we learned that every resident should have a red and a green card at home to be placed in your front window if we should have a large earthquake (5.0 or better). The green card would indicate to EPAC, CERT or emergency response teams that everyone in the house is okay and no one needs immediate medical attention. If medical attention is needed, however, place the red card in your front window where it is easily visible. These cards are used as indicators by all emergency response teams in California, including fire departments, police and EMTs. If you don't have these cards at home, see the receptionist at the front desk to pick yours up today. Most of the time we will just have a slight panic attack when the earth starts to quake and then we'll get up and adjust our crooked pictures hanging on the wall. But if things ever get worse, I know I'll be ready to react in a positive way. Earthquake Preparedness

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