Image Up Advertising & Design

| Four Seasons Hemet Herald | October 2016 | 3 You may recall that part of the message from your Board of Directors last month included a recommendation about the value of focusing your energy and efforts on things that are within your Circle of Influence. Along with that advice were a few examples of how you can do so, one of which was about things you could do to prepare yourself for "The Big Earthquake." We suggested that you could take actions to enhance your personal level of preparedness or even enroll in a CERT training course. Well, this month would be an excellent time to undertake such activities, because October is when the annual Great ShakeOut exercise will take place. At 10:20 a.m. on October 20, 2016, millions of people will participate in the largest earthquake drill ever: ShakeOut! The International ShakeOut Day of Action is held on the third Thursday of October each year. Last year, over 43 million people participated in Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills. Why? With 318 million people living and working in the United States, a major earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation. The action steps we take now, before a big earthquake strikes, will determine how well we survive and recover. If you have lived in California even a few years, you know how frightening earthquakes can be. Unlike tornadoes or hurricanes, earthquakes strike without warning. Many of you have already personally experienced the Sylmar, Loma Prieta, Landers/ Big Bear and/or the Northridge earthquakes, so you know first-hand how devastating they can be. But, if you're curious about the power Mother Nature can generate through an earthquake, take a look at the inset photo of some railroad tracks displaced by the 7.2 earthquake that struck just south of the California/ Mexico border near Ocotillo in April of 2010. Yes, we do live in earthquake country, but there are many more potential catastrophic events that could impact us. So even if the "Big One" never strikes, the important thing is to take action now to prepare. By doing so, you can reduce your anxiety and will have the confidence in knowing that you have done what you can within your "Circle of Influence" to minimize the trauma you and loved ones might experience. Also very likely, if anything less significant comes along, you will be able to handle it more adequately. For more details about what the Emergency Preparedness Committee members and your CERT trained neighbors are doing to support this event and to help prepare our Four Seasons community, please be sure to read the Emergency Preparedness Committee's article within this edition of the Herald. Then commit to taking action! As Mark Twain once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Message From the Board of Directors Sincerely, and on behalf of your Board of Directors, Greg, Ken, Jim, Tony, Gene and Don, Russ Brown, Vice President

• Cover