ShakeOut Scenario Used For 2015 Capstone National Level Exercise

The 2015 National Level Exercise (NLE) that occurred the second week of May 2015 was based on the ShakeOut Scenario. An investigation of the impacts from a M7.8 earthquake on the Southern San Andreas Fault, the ShakeOut Scenario was led by USGS/SAFRR(MHDP) and released in 2008 to improve earthquake planning, and has successfully continued to be utilized in new earthquake resilience efforts. The 2015 NLE is an operational exercise to foster emergency coordination among the U.S. military, federal agencies and the State of California emergency responders. SAFRR and the USGS Earthquake Science Center worked with exercise planners leading up to the event and during the exercise to provide "injects", or scientifically plausible situations, for emergency managers who would need to response. Ken Hudnut (USGS Earthquake Science Center) acted as USGS subject matter expert at the Master Control Cell, coordinating with the California Geological Survey, USGS, and the California Earthquake Clearinghouse, and provided exercise managers the critical USGS geospatial data from the USGS Hazards Data Distribution System (HDDS). Hudnut, SAFRR Project Manager Dale Cox, and SAFRR's Sue Perry briefed numerous planners leading up to the event, and Kate Scharer (ESC-SCEHAP) conducted an aerial reconnaissance. Cox was situated at the State Operations Center in Sacramento throughout the event. For more information see: 2015 National Level and California Capstone Exercise.