Great California ShakeOut 2021: SoCal offices, businesses and schools participate in statewide earthquake training

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People in government offices, businesses and schools across Southern California paused everything for a minute Thursday to “drop, cover and wait” during statewide earthquake preparedness drills, now in their 13th year.

The 2021 Great California ShakeOut event takes place at 10:21 a.m., and more than 7.5 million Californians were scheduled to take part in the rehearsals, according to the ShakeOut website.

The goal is to prepare people for an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 or greater along the southern portion of the San Andreas Fault. The US Geological Survey says there is a 31% chance that an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or higher will occur in Los Angeles in the next two decades.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says knowing what to do during a major earthquake is critical.

“The next big stage,” he said, “is not a question of if. We all know it’s a matter of time.”

Government officials say Californians should be prepared to be self-sufficient for 72 hours after a major disaster by getting a first aid kit, medicine, food and water. It is also important to know how to turn off the gas in your home in the event of a leak.

Officials say such a tectonic shift could produce waves of motion for hundreds of miles, over a four-minute period. According to the USGS, about 2,000 people will die, tens of thousands will be injured and more than $200 billion in damages will result. The disaster would be 50 times more powerful than the January 17, 1994, Northridge earthquake, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale.

Hundreds of aftershocks will occur — a few of which are roughly the size of the original earthquake, according to the USGS.

On Wednesday, the American Red Cross reminded people to find a cover under a table or sturdy piece of furniture and cling to it during the earthquake. She also explained that the use of doorways as protection is a myth. People who are outside when the earthquake strikes should stay away from buildings, power lines, trees and street lights and fall to the ground until the shaking stops. Motorists should stay away from bridges, overpasses, and power lines during an earthquake, and find a clear place to stand.

The Metro Transit System Thursday unveiled an expanded implementation of its earthquake early warning system as part of ShakeOut. The system is on all bus and rail divisions and uses the USGS ShakeAlert system to detect earthquakes of magnitude 4.8 or greater and give people a few extra seconds of warning. Metro believes its ShakeAlert deployment is the largest early warning system installation at a US transit agency.

“We want to be able to protect our critical infrastructure, which protects our passengers, and our patrons, to ensure their safety before the earthquake strikes,” said Aldon Bordenav, senior director of emergencies and homeland security for Los Angeles Metro.

California has a statewide earthquake early warning system that sends emergency alerts to people’s smartphones. People can receive alerts by downloading the MyShake app for iPhone. Android users with updated operating systems receive Android Earthquake alerts automatically using MyShake app technology.

The City News Service contributed to this report.

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