The Great Southern California ShakeOut Is Today

The largest earthquake drill ever conducted starts today, November 13, all over southern California and elsewhere. At 10:00 am local time, everyone will pretend that a magnitude 7.8 earthquake has occurred at the southernmost end of the San Andreas fault. The ground motions have been thoroughly calculated by supercomputers, and simulations are available from the US Geological Survey showing how the shaking would look at 14 different places. I visited Cajon Pass last month, so naturally I watched that one and let me tell you, it is a dreadful sensation watching the simulated seismic waves rush toward me over the San Bernardino Mountains. The energy looks like it will shoot right up the fault all the way to the San Francisco region and beyond.

You can do more than just watch videos—visit the shakeout.org home page and register to actually take part. And on Friday there will be a Get Ready Rally right across from the Staples Center in downtown L.A. Looking at all this from my home in Northern California, I'm feeling a little jealous. But our turn will surely come.