Today: the Great Southern California ShakeOut

“Cities are distinguished by the catastrophic forms they presuppose and which are a vital part of their essential charm. New York has King Kong, or the blackout, or vertical bombardment: Towering Inferno. Los Angeles is the horizontal fault, California breaking off and sliding into the Pacific: Earthquake.” - Jean Baudrillard

Did you feel the ground move at 10 am this morning? In southern California, millions of people dropped, covered and held on as part of the "Great Shakeout". This drill was organized by Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey and an alliance of scientists, emergency managers, engineers, and government officials to study the consequences of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in great detail. The ShakeOut Scenario will identify the physical, social and economic consequences of a major earthquake in southern California. The results will be published in 2009 enabling everyone to identify what they can change before the inevitable real earthquake occurs to avoid catastrophic impact.

Models for a magnitude 7.8 earthquake predict 1800 deaths and $213 billion of economic losses. These numbers are considered LOW and represent the aggressive retrofitting programs that have increased the earthquake resistance of buildings, highways and lifelines in California. In comparison, Hurricane Katrina, the third deadliest hurricane in US history, killed 1,836 people and has cost $110 billion in damages.

Bottom Line

Why is important to do a Drop, Cover, Hold On drill?

Just as with anything, to act quickly you must practice, practice, practice.

In a big earthquake, there may be very little time to protect yourself before strong shaking knocks you down or drops something on you. Most earthquakes have a sharp jolt a few seconds before the strong shaking, and we need to "Drop, Cover, Hold On" immediately when we feel the jolt. By practicing we will act quickly, rather than waiting to see if the earthquake will be large. If it is, it may be too late to protect yourself.

ShakeOut. Don't FreakOut.