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CLUBS & GROUPS | LIFE IN SOLERA | OCTOBER 2021 | 29 Our club is composed of licensed amateur radio operators and residents who are participants in the non-licensed "Walkie-Talkie Brigade." Some members participate with the CERT Cadre as the Emergency Communication Team (ECT). They are core elements of the disaster communication aspect of CERT. HAM RADIO OPERATORS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A DISASTER: During Hurricane Ida, many in Louisiana were without power and cell service, but ham radio was still able to make critical calls. It isn't reliant on WiFi or cell service — just amateur radio operators. When there was no cell service and no power to charge cell phones once cell service was restored, ham radio operators stepped in. Paul Teel WB5ANX, an emergency coordinator for Tulsa County and part of the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club, said "When somebody hears, 'Hey, they're okay and they made it through the storm,' it's a sense of relief and great that were able to participate in that." Teel works with local agencies such as the Tulsa Emergency Management Agency to get messages in and out between responders. EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY WITHOUT POWER & CELL SERVICE: On Aug. 31, nearly 1,700 Imperial Irrigation District customers lost power when gusty winds blew through Indio and knocked trees and 18 power poles to the ground. This power outage affected 1,652 customers in the eastern Coachella Valley, including Indio, La Quinta, Mecca, Thermal and Bermuda Dunes. Most of those customers were in or near Indio, where winds toppled electrical poles and left trees strewn about multiple city corridors. At the request of county authorities, amateur radio operators with the Riverside County "Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service," or R.A.C.E.S., were deployed to the Mecca area. Operators assisted public-safety personnel with communication resources. SOLERA EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS RADIO SYSTEM: An Emergency Communications, or EmComm, Plan has been established. Our CERT EmComm Team designed the plan to be used when normal communication is unavailable or inconvenient. This plan is tailored to the needs of the residents living in the Solera at Oak Valley Greens. The plan incorporates use of radio frequencies devoted to Solera. The CERT EmComm Team holds an FCC license, WREB621, which allows residents free access and use of the EmComm Radio System (without the need of personally possessing an FCC license). Additionally, our property management staff and the community security patrol will have access to the radio system. With this radio system, residents can use a handheld radio or walkie-talkies to talk to other residents during an emergency. To use this new radio system, residents need to have a UHF radio or walkie-talkie. To learn more about the Solera Emergency Radio Communications System and how to get a UHF radio, contact us at (951) 330-2460, email kc6src@gmail.com, or visit our website at http://www.soleraradio.com. ~ Ray C. Gayton-Jacob (N6KZM) RADIO CLUB

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