California Shakes it Out with statewide earthquake preparedness drill
A woman practices taking cover under a desk during an earthquake File photo courtesy Great Shakeout Earthquake Drills Nearly a million San Diego County residents participated Thursday in this year s Great California ShakeOut the statewide earthquake preparedness drill now in its th year A total of participants were registered in San Diego to stop everything for a minute to drop cover and hold on at a m Statewide more than million Californians are registered During last year s event about million statewide registered to take part The exercises began in What we do to prepare now before the next big earthquake will determine how well we can survive and recover revealed a announcement posted to ShakeOut org Great ShakeOut earthquake drills are a once-a-year chance for everyone to practice drop cover and hold on and learn other earthquake safety tips From a m to p m the California Governor s Office of Crisis Services will bring a shake trailer to Waterfront Park allowing the society to experience a simulated earthquake of up to magnitude The masses will also be able to get information about earthquake early warning mechanism preparedness tips and recommended life-saving actions Municipalities whose employees were involved in the annual event include Imperial Beach National City Oceanside Santee Solana Beach and the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department This annual event is a perfect reminder to make sure your family and loved ones have an emergency plan noted Christopher Heiser executive director of San Diego s Office of Urgency Services Whether it s an earthquake wildfire flood power outage or any other accident your home should be adequately supplied in circumstance of an exigency Support are available to help San Diegans create their individual emergency plans and be prepared for a catastrophe Virtually all local elementary and high school districts were expected to take part along with California State University and San Diego Neighborhood College District campuses UC San Diego and the University of San Diego According to ShakeOut org the objective is to emphasize precautions during a -magnitude or larger quake along the southernmost portion of the San Andreas fault Representatives believe such a tectonic shift could produce waves of movement for hundreds of miles over four minutes According to the U S Geological Survey particular people would die tens of thousands would be injured and more than billion in damage would aftermath The cataclysm would have times the intensity of the Jan Northridge earthquake Hundreds of aftershocks would ensue a scarce of them nearly as big as the original quake according to the USGS which also estimates there is a chance of a magnitude or greater earthquake striking California before San Diego County has a chance of a major earthquake within kilometers of the region within the next years The Rose Canyon Fault which runs along the coast from La Jolla to Downtown has an probability of a magnitude or larger earthquake occurring in the next years Californians should be prepared to be self-sufficient for hours following a major catastrophe 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 authorities Homeowners and renters should also know how to turn off the gas in their residences in circumstance of leaks
