Tina Farinas REALTOR, ABR, GRI, SFR, CHS, e-PRO

...there has been an explosion of a tank car; one of many terrorist events unfolding throughout the day for emergency first responders throughout the region. The tank car was filled with toxic fumes and there have been some injuries at the scene?

You and your family reside in the houses that were in the path of a dangerous vapor cloud of gases from the tank car explosion. People are running in all direction; a public siren is heard, a loud speaker directing you to the nearest evacuation shelter? How will you handle it? Are you prepared?

Yesterday morning my daughter and I was one of the many volunteers for the Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Drill which was held at the Maidu Community Center in Roseville. That was our scenario for the day. Every Disaster team throughout Placer and Sacramento Counties held a mocked MCI drill or exercise to prepare themselves for the community in situations such as this.

As volunteers, we were each handed a role to play - from being part of the casualties; to being homeless and needing assistance; to lost connections with family members, etc, etc. (that's my daughter pictured on the left, playing a role as a student separated from her parents looking sad). At the center of this is the American Red Cross Disaster team who had no idea who will walk into their mocked Evacuation and Shelter Center. Each ARC member had to compose themselves and set their own fear aside; to calm the community who was coming into the Center in mass quantities; and calm a many disillusioned and hurt victims, all the while connecting them to appropriate channels of the Center for assistance. Along with them are local firemen, policemen, paramedics and nurses at hand.

The full chaos that transpired and commotions brought about by the many volunteers (some brought their kids) playing their roles made it so realistic and intense. It was no longer a role play to me. It became a scary event which has taught me a huge lesson - that this could very well be a reality and being prepared is very important. That amidst a major catastrophe it is important that we all stay calm and become a team, to help each other, to comfort each other, to get us through it all in one piece. I learned that the very people who are helping are people just like us, who have family members who may have been displaced or lost, and yet they set aside every personal emotion to assist strangers for the good of the community.

After the drill, all volunteers were bused to the Roseville Fire Training Center where we received a pin and served a bountiful lunch courtesy of the Roseville Fire Department. If you asked me would I do this again, it will be a resounding "YES"! This drill offered by the City of Roseville took three hours and I recommend everyone partake in one. Contact your local office to see if they offer it in your City.

Make sure you and your families are prepared for emergency, visit FEMA for a basic guide. You can also visit the American Red Cross for training and preparedness handbook.

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Tina Farinas is a Real Estate Agent servicing Placer and Sacramento County.

I am YOUR resource in Short Sale and Foreclosure.

MagnumOne Realty

Cell(916) 208-5718

email:tina@tinafarinas.com

DRE# 01803153

When all my kids where younger I used to take them to places where I would volunteer my time, just to give them a glimpse of what it feels to give back to the community by volunteering. All of them used to give me a hard time especially when I am taking them to deliver brown bag full of canned goods and necessary living items to homes of those in need or volunteering to feed the needy in shelters or helping out sort out gifts for children who may otherwise may not receive any gifts for the holiday. I would even drag them for environmental escapades to clean the environment by picking up litters from different parks or beach areas.

But yesterday my older daughter made me proud. She started her first day of volunteerism for "Just Between Friends" for a few hours to help out during their pre-sale event. She was pretty excited being there and helping out with sorting and hanging and helping out shoppers when the event began. She boasts about being a "personal assistance" to a woman who was shopping for tons of items for her baby.

What is "Just Between Friends"? They seem to be all over America lately. They've been featured on ABC News, CNN and other news show. It is a consignment sale event for children, teens, and moms where you will find recycled gently used clothes, toys, etc. a bargain of a price! It's usually held at a bigger location set up as a shop versus a garage sale.

How you say does it pertain to community service? Well, three folds:

• The Sellers of the goods - It puts a little bit more money in their pocket. We all know the need of that in our current market.
• The Buyers of the goods - They are able to shop at a bargain price to support the everyday needs of their family.
• Charity support - Whatever they don't sell goes to local charities along with a percentage of the sale. In this case, they are supporting the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services Mother-Baby program (SFBS).

"Young families need all the help they can get today with the high cost of living." says Shannon Carter, owner of Just Between Friends of Sacramento and Roseville, CA.

So if you happen to be a bargain shopper and loves to help a local charity, go visit them today as they open for the public. They are at the Placer County Fairgrounds through April 18^th. The last day is a big bargain day where everything on the floor will be on sale for 50%.

Just Between Friends of Roseville

SPRING/SUMMER KID'S SALE

April 16th

10:00am - 7:00pm

April 17th (new arrivals)

10:00am - 3:00pm

April 18th (50% off sale)

9:00am - 1:00pm

Placer County Fairgrounds

800 All America City Boulevard

Roseville, CA 95678-1564

(916) 786-2023

Just as a purchase of a home is a major investment so are the appliances that go in the home. Care and periodic maintenance, as well as proper installation play a big role in performance and longevity of your appliances. Expect fairly predictable life expectancies on most appliances and small electrical products.

This is useful information for home buyers and current homeowners. Just knowing that your microwave is going to die after only 10 years, or if you need to budget for a replacement for your gas range after about 20, helps plan for the inevitable expense. And if you are buying used appliances, it´s a good indicator of how long you can expect a five-year-old top-loading washer to last.

The table below shows some of the common household appliances and its expected life in years. Information below were found from different resources and intended only as an estimate.

Tina Farinas is a Real Estate Agent servicing Placer and Sacramento County. She is YOUR resource in Short Sale and Foreclosure.

MagnumOne Realty Cell (916) 208-5718 email: tina@tinafarinas.com DRE# 01803153

Yesterday afternoon courtesy of our local news my son who got very excited, comes trotting down stairs "MOM!! It's going to snow in Roseville!" He tells me there was a Winter Storm alert for all of Placer and Sacramento counties. I just smiled at him thinking he must have heard wrong. ( can you tell, I don't usually watch the weather news) I flipped the TV switch and what do you know - he is telling no lie! The snow was suppose to fall throughout the County early Monday morning after rainfall and a decrease of temperature.

(The last time Placer and Sacramento County was covered in snow was a little over 7 years ago. To be exact - it happened in January 28, 2002 according to records. I happen to be in San Jose, CA and in transition to move to the Placer County so we didn't get to experience the fun of "snow coming down." I don't even think the snow made an appearance in Roseville back then. I heard the last time it snowed in Roseville, it was well over 30 years ago.)

I must say I was as excited as my son. I decided to wait for the snow to fall. The rain was pouring all over Roseville. By 1 AM and feeling the temperature outside (I didn't think a temperature of 38 degrees was enough to produce snow), I headed upstairs to go to bed pretty disappointed. Five minutes later, my husband who had just arrived from work popped his head into the room and said, "You gotta look at this" and proceeded to open my window. "It is snowing in Roseville!" Of course it was too dark for me to see through the window...

(For those people where a regular dose of snow is more of nuisance than anything, this is a welcoming surprise to a lot of Californians. Once in a blue moon is ALWAYS good in my book. Whenever we need a fix of snow, it usually involves an hour and half drive up to Tahoe or Nevada areas.)

Out of excitement, I ran downstairs flung open the front door and "WOW!" was the word that came out of my mouth. Snowflakes coming down all over Roseville - I had to take a pause to just admire the beauty! My son (bless his heart) woke up after my little calming experience because his "silly mom" was screaming where's my camera? I gotta take a picture of this!! Where's my video? MUST TAKE VIDEO!! And it is 1:08 AM in the morning. My son heads outside out of amazement and romps around to catch the snowflakes. The pictures you see are pictures from the front and back of our home as the snow falls. The snow increased as the early sun morning approaches. I stayed up long enough to take a few pictures and hoped that the grounds would be covered with snow when I wake up.

Just my luck, my kids were able to indulge the sight of snow up on the roof top and grounds on their way to school. My granddaughter even had enough to build a "gramma and granddaughter" set of snow people for me before heading to school. By the time I got around to looking outside, the snow has turned to water :-(

PLEASE MR SNOW...LET IT SNOW AGAIN!

Would love to see your snow pictures from YOU if you are in the Placer or Sacramento areas.

Tomorrow is expected to be a beautiful sunny day in Roseville. As a matter of fact, it will be 83° F just perfect to go out and enjoy the festivities of EARTH DAY!

"CELEBRATE THE EARTH 2009" event will take place at Mahany Regional Park facilities, located on the corner of Woodcreek Oaks Blvd and Pleasant Grove Blvd. It will start at 10:00AM to 3:00PM. This event is about bringing community awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The event line up is fun filled and educational from adults to kids.

There will be limited parking space at Mahany Park so to avoid congestions, here are some green tips for those who wish to attend:

1. Take a walk with the family to the park. It will be a beautiful warm day and what an opportunity to take in the beauty of the earth on your way to the park!

2. Take the Roseville Transit bus which stops in front of Mahany Park. All library cardholders rides for FREE.

3. Bike to the park with your family. Here's a perk for you if you ride a bike - there will be a FREE bike valet parking!

Hopet to see you there! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EARTH!!