USGS and The Great Southern California ShakeOut!

The USGS led a multi-disciplinary team of more than 300 experts from academia and industry, public and private sectors to develop the ShakeOut Scenario and communicate it to end users including emergency managers and the general public. USGS scientists have also used the scenario's results to conduct additional research. Many products are available for download, including Shakeout Scenario Reports, Narrative, Studies, Maps, and Movies.

For broadcast-quality video footage, please contact Don Becker at 605-594-6175.

Learn firsthand how USGS science is being used to help prepare Southern California for a major earthquake and prevent this natural hazard from becoming a catastrophe. Hear what our scientists and partners have to say.

Jay Alan (Streaming | Video)
Deputy Director of Communications, Office of Homeland Security, Office of the Governor, California

Mariana Amatullo: Part 1 (Streaming | Video)
Vice President, International Initiatives Art Center College of Design Director, Designmatters

Mariana Amatullo: Part 2 (Streaming | Video)
Vice President, International Initiatives Art Center College of Design Director, Designmatters

Mark Bassett (Streaming | Video)
Deputy Regional Administrator, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California

Denise Benson (Streaming | Video)
Division Manager, San Bernandino County Fire Deparment, Office of Emergency Services

Larry Collins (Streaming | Video)
County of Los Angeles Fire Department, Captain, Special Operations Bureau

Cheryl Curley (Streaming | Video)
Staff Development Coordinator, Desertare

Jim Featherstone (Streaming | Video)
City of Los Angeles, General Manager, Emergency Management Department

Ken Hudnut: Part 1 (Streaming | Video)
U.S. Geological Survey, Geophysist, Earthquake Hazards Team

Ken Hudnut: Part 2 (Streaming | Video | Transcript (correction included))
U.S. Geological Survey, Geophysist, Earthquake Hazards Team

Peter Lent (Streaming | Video)
Deputy Director, Riverside County Fire Department, Office of Emergency Services

Kate Long (Streaming | Video)
Earthquake and Tsunami Program, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California

Dennis Mileti (Streaming | Video)
Professor Emeritus University of Colorado, Boulder Natural Hazards Center

Allan Renazco (Streaming | Video)
Captain, California Army National Guard, Exercise Planner

Gary Sturdivan (Streaming | Video)
Manager, East Valley Water District Security and Emergency

• The Great Southern California ShakeOut
• Play “Beat the Quake” at www.dropcoverholdon.org.
• Prepare yourself and your family for earthquakes at www.daretoprepare.org.
• Get worldwide, up-to-the-minute earthquake info at earthquakes.usgs.gov.
• Get earthquake preparation handbooks, safety tips, and more at www.earthquakecountry.info (many resources available in Spanish).
• ShakeOut earthquake scenario summary poster (PDF - 11 MB)

Quick look:
Los Angeles - It's working! On November 13, 2008 more than 5.47 million people in southern California participated in The Great Southern California ShakeOut, now officially the largest earthquake drill in the Nation's history - and according to some community leaders, a success that should be practiced every year...Results Are In: Great Southern California ShakeOut Successful, Sets U.S. Record!
(Released: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:02:12 EDT)

Quick look:
Earthquakes are far more than just geological phenomena-they can greatly alter the way people live by damaging whole communities....How Science Helps Communities Prepare for and Survive Earthquakes
(Released: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:40:51 EDT)

Quick look:
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne will join California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Geological Survey Director Mark Myers and other leaders in participating in the The Great Southern California Shakeout....Secretary Kempthorne to Join Gov. Schwarzenegger, Other Leaders for Great Southern California Shakeout Earthquake Drill
(Released: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:10:02 EDT)

Quick look:
New 3-D animations of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake scenario are now available to the public at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/simulations/shakeout/....Media Advisory: NOW ON THE WEB! USGS 3-D Animations of Dramatic Ground Shaking
(Released: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:15:00 EDT)

Quick look:
You can now view video interviews, see earthquake animations and impacts, download high-resolution imagery and much more, all related to the USGS science behind the Great Southern California ShakeOut, all in one place: www.usgs.gov/shakeout....One-Stop Web Shop for USGS Great ShakeOut Science Resources Now Open
(Released: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 7:17:56 EDT)

Quick look:
New 3-D animations showing the way ground in the Southern California would move and shake during the very strong 7.8 earthquake scenario planned for the Great Southern California ShakeOut will be shown and available to the media on November 12. ...Media Advisory: USGS Animations Show Intense Ground Shaking From 7.8 Great ShakeOut Scenario Quake
(Released: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 6:14:47 EDT)

Quick look:
A great earthquake along the southern San Andreas Fault could cause many tall buildings to collapse in Los Angeles, explains USGS earthquake expert Dr. Ken Hudnut in a new video interview...What Would a Great Earthquake do to the Buildings in Downtown Los Angeles?
(Released: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 13:53:46 EDT)

Quick look:
What if you knew that a magnitude 7.8 earthquake would happen in less than three weeks? In a new video interview, USGS earthquake scientist Dr. Lucy Jones explains that millions of Southern Californians will be preparing as if they do know, thanks to the Great Southern California ShakeOut....Earthquakes? Don't Freak Out--ShakeOut!
(Released: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 6:41:29 EDT)

Quick look:
Some residents were shaken awake today by the magnitude 4.1 earthquake in the San Bernardino Mountains. But all of Southern California would experience the effects of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas Fault - 500,000 times bigger than today's event - depicted in the "ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario."...Media Advisory: Join Scientists to See How Major Earthquake Can Devastate Southern California
(Released: Thu, 2 Oct 2008 6:44:49 EDT)

Quick look:
Three months from today, at 10 a.m. on November 13, millions of southern Californians will drop to the ground, take cover under a table or desk, and hold on. An earthquake prediction? No. But it is certain that the Great Southern California ShakeOut is on track to being the largest earthquake drill in United States history...Don't be Left Out! Three Months to ShakeOut
(Released: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 7:12:38 EDT)

Audio/Podcasts

What Would a Large Earthquake Do to Downtown L.A.?
USGS CoreCast hosted by Clarice Nassif Ransom

USGS Scientist Ken Hudnut on the science behind the ShakeOut Scenario earthquake

The Great Southern California ShakeOut: An Earthquake Scenario Based On Science
USGS CoreCast hosted by Clarice Nassif Ransom

Earthquakes? Don't Freak Out—ShakeOut! (A CoreCast video interview with Lucy Jones)

Videos/B-roll

Preparedness Now (Streaming | Video)
This film depicts the realistic outcome of a hypothetical, but plausible, magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault in Southern California.

San Andreas Fault: Highway (Streaming | Video)
B-roll of trains, powerlines, roads, and utilities over the San Andreas Fault at Cajon Pass.

San Andreas Fault: Highway 2 (Streaming | Video)
B-roll of trains, powerlines, roads, and utilities over the San Andreas Fault at Cajon Pass.

San Andreas Fault: Train (Streaming | Video)
B-roll of trains, powerlines, roads, and utilities over the San Andreas Fault at Cajon Pass.

San Andreas Fault: Train 2 (Streaming | Video)
B-roll of trains, powerlines, roads, and utilities over the San Andreas Fault at Cajon Pass.

San Andreas Fault: Lost Lake (Streaming | Video)
B-roll of Lost Lake directly over the San Andreas Fault at Cajon Pass.