Six months after Tropical Storm Hilary, Riverside County urges community preparedness

It has been six months since Tropical Storm Hilary swept through the Coachella Valley.

The hundred-year storm impacted our community, causing homes to flood and roads to sustain damage.

Six months later, some communities still feel the impact of the storm.

While the county received public assistance aid money, it was not approved for state and federal disaster declarations that assist individuals and their homes.

"Individuals are really reliant on their insurance and their own levels of preparedness to recover from the impacts of the storm," said Shane Reichardt from Riverside’s Emergency Management Department. "The people who were impacted are probably still facing questions about how they are going to pay for the damages they incurred."

Although the county has not been able to financially support families and individuals in need as a result of Hilary, the Emergency Management Department feels even more responsibility to educate the community about emergency preparedness.

"We are always striving to increase our preparedness, and much of that relies on the public," said Reichardt. "We want to take steps to ensure they are prepared for events like this."

One way the county hopes to educate others about emergency management is through Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) programs, which are free to the public.

Another way to learn more about preparedness is by visiting RivCoReady.org and reading their disaster preparedness tips, covering topics such as storm preparation, extreme weather, and flooding.

Tonight at 6:00 PM, our I-Team reports on the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary, 6 months after the storm.