Village Response to July 4, 5 Earthquakes Immediate and Robust
Immediately following the July 4 and 5 earthquakes—one a magnitude 6.4 and the other a 7.1 that struck near Ridgecrest and were felt all over SoCal—the VMS Department of Security Services Incident Management Team sprang into action.
The team checked all critical utilities to ensure power and gas lines were functioning, and found no evidence of structural or roadway damage. Dispatch received no calls of reported falls or injuries. During this time, the Security Department remained in regular contact with Jeff Parker, VMS Chief Executive Officer, and Siobhan Foster, Chief Operations Officer. After a thorough inspection by Security personnel, Chief Tim Moy informed the Disaster Preparedness Task Force that the entire Village was safe and secure. The CodeRED emergency notification system was ready to if deployment had become necessary.
Further, ham radio operators monitored the distance-to-fault (DTF) radio, checked into the California Emergency Net on 7.250 MHz, which features statewide coverage, and gave a report on how the earthquake was felt in our area.
The Village response plan includes notifications from the County Emergency Operations Center. If the center were to activate or send out emergency notification, Security personnel would inform Residents.
The Village’s comprehensive emergency plan, which outlines all the actions necessary to prepare for, respond to and recover from hazards of all types, conforms to state and national emergency management systems. Further, the Village uses its own resources in the event of disaster; clubhouses can be converted into care and reception centers.
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