[californiadisasters] Big ‘Shakeout’ a Big Success

Big 'Shakeout' a big success

October 20th, 2010, 4:17 pm · posted by Pat Brennan, O.C. Register science, environment editor

Millions of Californians took part in a mass earthquake drill called the Great California Shakeout Thursday morning.

At 10:21 a.m. Thursday, an estimated 7.8 million of California's children and adults practiced "Drop, Cover, and Hold On," an action meant to reduce potential injury and death during a large earthquake.

That included more than 760,000 in Orange County, taking part in a variety of events at schools, medical facilities, government offices, museums, private homes and other locations.

Cal State Fullerton held several events as drills for the real thing.

Students and faculty were evacuated, and "injured" victims were to be treated by medical personnel.

Students from Valencia High School art classes supplied "fallen debris" created for the event.

"The visual images of having fallen debris with a fake injured person next to it — that really brought the message home to a lot of people," said Sue Fisher, emergency management coordinator at Cal State Fullerton.

Fisher, who has been preparing for the event for weeks, also erected an 8-by-10-foot screen near the outside the student recreation center showing a 45-minute video featuring the school's 2008 Shakeout.

Other Orange County Shakeouts took place in Leisure World in Seal Beach, Benson Elementary School in Tustin, Las Palmas Elementary School in San Clemente and a variety of other locations.

Event organizers do not attempt to track who among those who sign up actually conduct the drills, but Mark Benthien of the Southern California Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California it is likely far more than the estimated 7.8 million.

Even people who didn't take part would have received earthquake preparedness information, he said.

"It's likely in the 20 million range — people who heard what to do during an earthquake," he said.

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View entire article here: http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2010/10/20/shout-out-for-shakeout/113190/

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