Are you ready to evacuate your home in a moment’s notice due to an imminent threat such as a fire or a debris flow?  Do you know what to pack?  Do you have emergency supplies? 

 

Being prepared for an emergency or disaster is a daunting task and many of us don’t know where to start. 

 

To assist residents in being prepared for these events, the Sycamore Creek Community Association is searching for a dedicated and  passionate person to help lead community members in disaster and emergency preparedness and training. 

 

Given the Holy Fire and recent threat of debris flows, the Board of  Directors would like to expand the Neighborhood Watch group to  include more education and training on emergency/disaster preparedness.  This will be a new volunteer position that will Co-Chair the Neighborhood Watch group focusing on emergency prep while the current Chairperson continues to focus on safety and security.

 

If you are interested in serving as a Co-Chairperson for the Neighborhood Watch, contact Facility Manager, Genevieve Ginelsa at 951-277-3257 or Genevieve.Ginelsa@fsresidential.com. 

 

The Sycamore Creek administrative office will be closed December 24th and December 25th in observance of Christmas, and December 31st and January 1, 2019 in observance of New Year's Day.

 

We will resume normal business hours on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

 

 

What is a debris flow?

Debris flows are fast-moving, deadly landslides. They are powerful mixtures of mud, rocks, boulders, trees - and sometimes homes or vehicles.  You'll often hear "debris flows" called "mudslides" or "mudflows." Many people use the terms interchangeably, but to scientists, each is a different kind of landslide. Debris flows are the most powerful and dangerous of the three.

Safety Steps to Prepare

BEFORE THE STORM:

1. Determine if your home, business, schools or necessary travel routes are in the at-risk areas by referring to the maps above. 
2. Learn the plan for your local school. Parents of school age children should contact their school district or visit their websites to learn what steps the district will take to ensure student safety. This may include school closures and evacuations. 
3. Know all your local access roads and understand that some may be blocked by debris or water. Have an alternate route. Stay informed or road and highway conditions by visiting the Riverside County Transportation Department's website at rctlma.org/trans and Caltrans' website at quickmap.dot.ca.gov. 
4. Learn about debris flows. Their dangers are different than the water and mud of typical storms. 
5. Flood insurance: Most homeowners insurance does not cover floods or flows from natural disasters. Make sure your home is protected. Refer to the National Flood Insurance Program website at FEMA.gov/national-flood-insurance-program. Act now. Most flood insurance policies take up to 30 days to go into effect.
6. Have an emergency plan and a disaster kit ready to go. 

 AS A STORM APPROACHES:

1. Follow all orders by public safety officials. Sign up for emergency alerts at RivCoReady.org/AlertRivCo.
2. Leave before any flows begin, this the only safe time to leave. If debris flows, mud or water are already flowing, get higher than the flow, such as going to the highest floor in your home. 
3. Heed all evacuations. Evacuations Warnings (Voluntary) will be issued for at-risk areas 24-48 hours before an expected storm. As stated above, the safest time to leave is before any flow begins. Mandatory Evacuation Orders will be issued 6-12 hours before the storm.
4. Monitor official weather reports and heed weather alerts. Understand that the weather where you are can be different than back in the mountains where the flows start. 
5. Never drive or walk into flood waters, mud or debris, and never go around barricades. It is impossible to know how deep the water or mud is just by looking at it and the depth can change quickly.
6. Protect your property structures with sandbags and other methods to divert water from entering structures and reduce erosion on your property. Visit RVCFire.org to see a list of local fire station offering limited and unfilled sandbags and sand. 
7. As always, in case of emergency, dial 9-1-1. 

Have you ever wonder what the Association is doing about those violations that you continue to see every day or feel that you have reported numerous times with no progress/resolution?  The answer is that the entire process can take a really long time, especially if an owner refuses to comply or doesn't communicate with the Board.  The entire process can take several months up to over a year to complete.   And in very severe cases, it can take even longer.

 

The Association has and will continue to pursue each violation until it’s resolve/closed.  It’s also important to note that the Board monitors and reviews all violations monthly to ensure that the enforcement of the guidelines is being conducted in a fair, consistent and timely manner. 

 

To provide more transparency, we’ve added this section to the website for residents to see the current number of violations being opened and closed each month.

 

# of Violations Opened in the Last 30 Days (11/26/18)	115
# of Violations Closed in the Last 30 Days	7
#of All Open Violations	357
Architectural	109
Delinquent Assessments	14
Landscape	214
Maintenance	9
Miscellaneous	11

The parkway tree trimming schedule for trees under 15 ft. is as follows:

 

• Silver Birch Rd, Songbird Drive, Sparrow Lane, Teaberry Court, Towhee Lane, Kingbird Drive, and Peony Drive.

Update your contact list!  You can now reach the Sycamore Creek Community Association's patrol officers (Nordic Security) directly at 714-916-7059.  As a reminder, residents should first contact the County of Riverside Sheriff's Department at 951-776-1099 to report suspicious persons, vehicles and activities, and then contact the patrol staff.

 

Starting Thursday, November 1, 2018 the Sycamore Creek Community Association (SCCA) administrative office will be closed on Saturdays.  The office will continue to be open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  If you are unable to visit the office during these hours, please contact the staff and we'll make arrangements to meet with you. 

 

The SCCA administrative office will resume its Saturday business hours every summer (June-August) to accommodate for the busy summer season.

The County of Riverside street sweeper will now service the Sycamore Creek (public) streets on the 2nd and 4th TUESDAY, monthly, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Please take note of the NEW schedule, and remember to remove your cars from the street in order for the street sweeper to clean the roads.

Now is the time to prepare yourself and loved ones by ensuring you'll have the necessary supplies in an emergency situation.  Visit http://www.bitly.com/UCIrvineEDP to see Ready America's range of disaster supplies, emergency kits, safety fasteners, and much more!  To view a list of their supplies, please click here /editor_upload/Image/1.jpg and here /editor_upload/Image/2.jpg.

• Someone looking in windows of houses and parked cars.
• Property being taken out of houses where no one is at home.
• Cars, van, or trucks moving slowly with no apparent destination or without lights.
• A stranger sitting in a car or stopping to talk to a child.
• Individuals walking at odd times in the day (late evening hours).

Keep abreast of what's going on in your local community! 

 

Visit www.wearetv.org to learn more about what's going on in Temescal Valley.  You can also check out the latest We Are Temescal Valley newsletter, and upcoming local events by selecting Local News & Events (under the Members tab) or click HERE.