As quake threat looms, LA County joins millions in annual ShakeOut drill

Science teacher Katrina Arras instructed the Los Angeles classroom of nine to drop, cover and hold Thursday morning as her phone screen flashed and sounded with the earthquake notice recently started throughout L.A.’s Fremont High School.

Based in Oregon, Arras has come a long way.

Having traveled along fault lines ahead of Thursday’s annual Great Shakeout as a partner with the software product ShakeAlert Early Warning, Arras’ final stop coincided with the state’s 2026 Great Shakeout.

“A lot of people my age or older have outdated information about how to stay safe in an earthquake and may still think that going into a doorway is the safest thing to do,” Arras said. “Kids can go home and talk to their families about emergency preparedness.”

• Also see: New report says San Andreas Fault stress at 1,000-year high

According to the Great California Shakeout, the organization behind the 2008-era tradition to drop, cover and hold annually, nearly 11 million Californian participants participated in the drill Thursday at 10:15 a.m. across museums, government agencies, businesses and more.

The state’s K-12 schools made up the largest sector of participants at 5,475,294, officials said.

This year marked LAUSD’s first year participating in the early technology detection across 610 of their schools, linking the software to decades-old seismic sensors underground.

The software system, launched in 2021, received 4.8 million downloads in California, Oregon and Washington ahead of this year’s Shakeout drill. It plans to expand throughout Nevada in the coming months.

But the shakeout is not simply a school affair.

Metrolink also observed the drill across various rails, including three Amtrak trains, one Union Pacific train and seven metro trains.

UCLA Engineering Professor Jonathan Stewart, who studies earthquake engineering, said the Shakeout remains an important reminder across California that hasn’t seen the consequences up close in decades.

“You may know in an abstract way that it’s a part of Southern California life but it just doesn’t feel like a priority if you’re not experiencing it in your own cognitive time frame therefore it feels like something you can put off,” Stewart said.

He said it stands in contrast to wildfire readiness, which has prompted immediate mediations such as brush trimming.

Stewart said California’s earthquake readiness has made progress when it comes to requiring retrofitting for bridges, hospitals and other buildings.

The American Red Cross Los Angeles Region also participated in the event at Fremont High, joining scientists, emergency management officials, educators and preparedness organizations to demonstrate earthquake safety techniques.

“No one can stop an earthquake, but everyone can take steps to be ready for one,” said Amanda Morita, regional disaster officer for the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region. “At the Red Cross, we work every day to help communities prepare for the worst before it happens. The Great ShakeOut gives people an opportunity to turn awareness into action by practicing simple skills that can help protect lives when seconds matter most. The more we prepare today, the more resilient our communities will be tomorrow.”

Elsewhere in Los Angeles County, such as at Whittier High School, smiling youngsters found themselves scrunched under their desks.

West Hollywood participated in the statewide drill at 10:15 a.m., encouraging residents, businesses, schools and community organizations to practice earthquake safety procedures.

City officials emphasized that the annual exercise provided an opportunity for people to prepare for earthquakes before an actual emergency occurs.

Los Angeles Valley College in the San Fernando Valley conducted a campus-wide drill from 10:15 to 10:30 a.m., with employees and students practicing the recommended protective actions during a 60-second earthquake exercise.

At Los Angeles Mission College, campus fire alarms activated at 10:15 a.m., prompting students, faculty and staff to drop, cover and hold on. Participants then evacuated buildings, with facilities personnel and sheriff’s deputies conducting building sweeps before re-entry.

Long Beach City College conducted drills at both its Liberal Arts and Trades, Technology and Community Learning campuses, requiring students, employees and visitors to practice earthquake safety procedures before evacuating buildings to designated assembly areas.

Metrolink tested its emergency protocols and testing technology designed to automatically slow or stop trains during earthquakes.

The agency’s earthquake early warning system integrates the U.S. Geological Survey’s ShakeAlert technology with Metrolink’s Positive Train Control system. The technology was introduced across Metrolink-owned and -operated tracks in 2023.

During the drill, participating trains slowed for several minutes to simulate a response to seismic activity. The agency had anticipated minimal delays across its six-county rail network.

The Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs also encouraged participation in the statewide drill, which could be conducted at homes, workplaces, schools and other locations.

California has experienced devastating earthquakes, including the magnitude-6.7 Northridge earthquake in 1994 and the magnitude-6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

Scientists have warned that a major earthquake along the San Andreas Fault remains a significant threat to Southern California, underscoring the importance of preparing homes, workplaces and schools for potentially damaging shaking.

City News Service contributed to this report.