Los Angeles prepares for 'The Big One' with quake drill

Authorities in Los Angeles carried out an annual earthquake drill Thursday, as the threat of a future major quake known as "The Big One" looms.

"It's a drill today, but tomorrow it may be real," said Mayor Eric Garcetti -- a point proved in Mexico, where a drill was carried out hours before a deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed 369 people in September.

The California metropolis is at risk due to the 800 mile (1300 kilometer) San Andreas fault. On January 17, 1994, a 6.7 magnitude quake struck Los Angeles, killing 57 and injuring over 8,700.

Thursday's exercise -- carried out annually at 10:19 am to match the date -- was based on a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. It is estimated such a quake would kill 1,800 and lead to losses of $213 billion in southern California.

The drill -- officially called the 2017 Great California Shakeout -- also saw emergency personnel practice response strategies outside the city's Natural History Museum. They installed a triage zone color-coded in green, yellow and red to help prioritize the treatment of those injured.

Lake waves penetrate, disturb the surrounding earth
Washington (UPI) Oct 16, 2017
According to new seismic research, the waves rolling across the top of lake cause the surrounding earth to rumble. Imperceptible at the shoreline surface, the earth-penetrating ripples are just strong enough to be picked up by seismometers. "It's kind of a new phenomenon," Keith Koper, director of the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, said in a news release. "We don't really know ... read more

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