SAN DIEGO — People in government offices, businesses and schools throughout the county stopped everything for a minute Thursday to "drop, cover and hold on" during a statewide earthquake preparedness drill, now in its 16th year.
The Great California ShakeOut of 2024 happened Thursday at 10:17 a.m.
"What we do to prepare now, before the next big earthquake, will determine how well we can survive and recover," according to a statement 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."
The ShakeOut website indicated that as of Thursday morning, more than 10.5 million Californians were slated to participate in the drill, including nearly 1 million in San Diego County. During last year's event, about 10.2 million statewide registered to take part.
The exercises began in 2008.
Local government employees from Imperial Beach, National City, Oceanside, Santee, Solana Beach and the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department were involved. The San Diego County Office of Emergency Services and the San Diego Public Library will also participate.
Virtually all elementary and high school districts also took part, along with California State University and San Diego Community College District campuses, UC San Diego and the University of San Diego.
According to ShakeOut.org, the drill aims to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness during a 7.8-magnitude or larger quake along the southernmost portion of the San Andreas fault.
Officials believe such a tectonic shift could produce waves of movement for hundreds of miles, over four minutes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, about 2,000 people would die, tens of thousands would be injured and there would be more than $200 billion in damages. The shift would have 50 times the intensity of the Jan. 17, 1994, Northridge earthquake.
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.
Homeowners and renters should also know how to turn off the gas in their residences in case of leaks.
The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services encouraged Californians to be prepared by downloading the MyShake app. The app features ShakeAlert, the first-in-the-nation earthquake early warning system.