More than a million Bay Area residents - including nearly 50,000 in Sonoma County - will take part in a statewide earthquake drill late Thursday morning.
The Great California ShakeOut at 10:21 a.m. is aimed at reducing injuries and saving lives by training people to react quickly and automatically to the first signs of a tremor.
Participants are urged to "Drop, Cover and Hold On" during the first few seconds of a quake, as debris may fall or shift quickly, or knock a person down before they can position themselves.
People caught in an earthquake should drop to the floor and get under something sturdy like a desk or table, or even in a corner, and hold onto the shelter or cover one's face and neck until the shaking stops.
Experts say one should never get in a doorway or run outside during a quake. They also dispute an idea spread widely via viral emails advising people to seek safety in a Triangle of Life, saying sheltering next to a large sturdy item actually puts a person in danger.
The event started in 2008 as The Great Southern California ShakeOut and last year expanded to include the entire state and a record 6.9 million people, organizers said.
Nearly 8 million are registered to participate this year, including local governments, colleges, medical facilities, service agencies, families, neighborhood groups, businesses, even BART.
The ShakeOut comes on the 142 anniversary of a 6.8 quake that struck the Hayward Fault underlying major portions of the Bay Area and anticipates a similarly large quake in the next several decades.
More information is available at www.shakeout.org.
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