THE GREAT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SHAKEOUT 2008
ShakeOut is One-of-a-Kind
The Great Southern California ShakeOut is a week of special events featuring the largest
earthquake drill in U.S. history, organized to inspire Southern Californians to get ready for
big earthquakes, and to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes.
An Earthquake Drill for the Record Books
At 10 a.m. on November 13, 2008, millions of southern Californians will "Drop, Cover, and
Hold On." Why? An enormous earthquake is our future, and the ShakeOut drill is our
chance to practice what to do when it happens. Individuals, families, businesses, schools
and organizations will join firefighters, police officers, and other emergency responders
(involved in the statewide "Golden Guardian" exercise) in our largest-ever earthquake
preparedness activity. Don't miss out!
ShakeOut is based on a potential 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the southern San Andreas
Fault. This type of earthquake occurs in southern California every 150 years on average,
and the last was 151 years ago! Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey has led a
group of over 200 scientists, engineers, and others to study the likely consequences of this
enormous earthquake in great detail.