Southern California holds biggest mock earthquake drill in US

The largest number of Californians ever participated in a mock earthquake drill that is being billed as the largest ever in the US.

Dropping to the ground and covering their heads, Californians prepared for the "Big One'' in an exercise that was aimed at testing the responses of the entire state system, including its leaders and students who wore fake blood in their role as quake victims.

Around 5 million Californians signed for the drill that simulated an earthquake of 7.8-magnitude which authorities said could potentially lead to 1,800 fatalities. Participation levels varied from a simple "drop, cover and hold on" position to carrying out mock search-and-rescue.

Local television channels In Southern California interrupted regular programming to announce the drill, following through with coverage that would normally be seen after a real major seismic event, except for a reminder to viewers that the images on screen were not real. The mock drill was a reminder to Californians that they live in an earthquake prone area that can create an event such as the one they were rehearsing, without warning.

ICF International provided contract support to the largest earthquake exercise ever conducted in the state of California. Called Golden Guardian, a full-scale, statewide exercise tested California's capability to respond and recover during a catastrophic earthquake.

ICF supported the Los Angeles County Operational Area (LACOA) in designing and conducting its portion of the exercise, which encompassed 88 cities, most of which participated in the exercise. The exercise focused on a simulated, catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake along the southern portion of the San Andreas Fault.

The exercise occurred in two phases, with the first initial response phase simulating the immediate hours and days following an earthquake. Thereafter, the disaster recovery phase, a one-day exercise, examines the issues that remain 30 to 90 days following an earthquake.