Millions of people in government buildings, businesses, non-profits and schools throughout Southern California stopped everything for a minute at 10:19 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, to “drop, cover and hold on” during a statewide earthquake preparedness drill, the Great California ShakeOut.
Among those who participated in Los Angeles County were employees at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, who stopped, dropped and held on, and then evacuated the building. Out in the parking lot they performed an aftershock drill by “stopping, dropping and covering.”
In Pasadena, Pasadena High School students made their way to a field where they participated in the Great California ShakeOut, and some students joined in by huddling under counters.
In Los Angeles County, more than 3.3 million people registered for the drill.
Municipalities whose local government employees participated included Arcadia, Glendale, Glendora, Culver City, Cudahy, Inglewood, Lakewood, Diamond Bar, Covina, Burbank, Azusa, Paramount, West Hollywood, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Torrance and the city and county of Los Angeles.
California State University campuses took part, along with Los Angeles Community College District campuses, Loyola Marymount University, USC, UCLA and other universities.
Most kindergarten through 12th grade school districts countywide, along with private and charter schools, had students and staff participating.
According to ShakeOut.org, the objective is to emphasize precautions during a 7.8 magnitude or larger quake along the southernmost portion of the San Andreas Fault.
Officials believe that such a tectonic shift could produce waves of movement for hundreds of miles, over four minutes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, some 2,000 people would die, tens of thousands would be injured and more than $200 billion in damage would result.
The cataclysm would have 50 times the intensity of the Jan. 17, 1994, Northridge earthquake.
Hundreds of aftershocks would ensue — a few of them nearly as big as the original quake, according to the USGS.
Californians should be prepared to be self-sufficient for 72 hours following a major disaster. That includes having a first-aid kit, medications, food and enough water for each member of a household to drink one gallon per day, according to local and state officials.
Metrolink also participated in the annual Great California ShakeOut. At 10:19 a.m., Metrolink trains operating on Metrolink-owned tracks were slowed by an automated process initiated by Metrolink’s cutting-edge early earthquake detection system, adopted systemwide in March.
Metrolink says it is the first and only railroad in the country to integrate Positive Train Control (PTC) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeAlert early earthquake warning technology.
“In Southern California, earthquakes can happen at any time,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said in a statement. “Preparedness is paramount. That’s why Metrolink is setting the bar with a pioneering new early detection system that uses advanced technology to automatically slow or stop our trains in the event of an earthquake.”
“We saw the system in action last August,” he said, “when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake was detected in Ventura County. The Great California ShakeOut is yet another opportunity to showcase this critical tool, while demonstrating our commitment to customer safety.”
City News Service contributed to this report
