Students at Providence High School in Burbank, near Los Angeles, survived the Big One Thursday, joining millions of others across the state who took part in the Great California ShakeOut. The annual drill is aimed at teaching people what to do in the event of an earthquake, while encouraging everyone to be prepared. More than 7.8 million people across California, including 3.6 million in Los Angeles and Orange counties, registered to take part in the event, which had residents responding to a simulated quake at 10:21 a.m. local time, 1721GMT. Participants were instructed to drop, cover and hold on'' -- the recommended procedure in an earthquake. Earlier, a number of students put the advice to good use during an earthquake simulator that registered a 7.0 quake. The ShakeOut drill began three years ago, based on scientists' predictions of what would occur during and after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. They estimated such an event would kill 1,800 people, injure 50,000 more, and cause 200 billion in damages (USD), leaving the region to experience long-lasting social and economic consequences. We can't tell you when the earthquake is going to be, but we can tell you when it is going to be, explained Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Shake Out is based on a scientific study. We have brought in all the experts to look in details about what the big San Andreas earthquake will be like. Among those on hand were a contingent from Chile, who took part in the drill in an effort to learn and share their experiences from the devastating earthquake that struck their country in February. The drill included emergency teams moving the group to Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center where the exercise the continued.
