The quake near Yucaipa shook up some people inside the tallest building in Riverside County.
That's the new Morongo Casino and Resort Hotel in Cabazon, which sits near three fault zones. The recent quakes have been the first sizeable shakers since the hotel opened in December.
We went inside the high rise to find out why casino safety officials say it's much safer than you may think.
Towering 25 stories above the desert floor, the Morongo Casino and Resort Hotel is the tallest structure in the county.
Because the high rise sits along three fault lines, some critics argued a tower should never be built. So when yesterday's earthquake hit, it rattled the building and some nerves.
“It's 25 stories high. I would run for the hills if something were to happen!” said Alex Perez.
Others said they felt it but weren't worried.
“It's a relatively new building,” said Charles Wolf. “I would imagine they built it with precautions as much as the can.”
According to the Morongo Fire Department, Wolf is right.
Not only is this the tallest building in Riverside County, Morongo Fire says it's also one of the safest. It was build above and beyond all county and state codes.
Because the high rise sits on a reservation, they're actually not required to even meet code, but Chief Karl Kolodzik said they chose to do so and more.
“We built a lot of safety systems, much higher than needed to be. The tribal council not only wanted it to be a fun place to come, but the safest in Riverside County.”
Kolodzick said he's more worried about smaller older buildings than Morongo.
Plus, firefighter-paramedics who are on the property 24 hours a day in this control room also said there are rollers below each floor to prevent the structure from buckling. They even tested their emergency alert system while we were there.
“I think all can rest assured, we've done everything and then some to make sure it's the safest in Riverside County.”
So while some say they'd rather be somewhere else than a high-rise, if or when a big one hits, safety officials here maintain they'd put their money on Morongo coming out on top.
