News Release  

Moreno Valley to Test Disaster Preparedness

The City of Moreno Valley will conduct a full-scale emergency operations exercise on Thursday, November 13 as part of the statewide “Golden Guardian” program, the nation's largest state-sponsored emergency preparedness exercise effort. The purpose of the drill is to test preparedness, response, and recovery from catastrophic emergencies. In particular, the City will be testing the implementation and operation of the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and evaluating the response and communication flow among multiple agencies to this simulated major earthquake disaster.

“There are over 30 earthquakes in Southern California every day. Seismic experts tell us that, regarding the probability that Southern California will be hit by a major earthquake, the question is not if, but when,” said Michelle Dawson, Assistant to the City Manager. A number of local agencies will be participating with the City on the Golden Guardian exercise, including the American Red Cross, Riverside County Regional Medical Center, Moreno Valley Unified School District, March Air Reserve Base and the March Joint Powers Authority. The City is also utilizing the Emergency Communications volunteers and Community Emergency Response Team members in the exercise.

Residents may see some emergency drill activity taking place in certain areas of the City and should not be alarmed.

For more information, please contact the Media and Communications Division at 413.3053.