An earthquake simulator capable of replicating the intensity of a magnitude 7.0 temblor will visit Balboa Park next week as part of a statewide tour leading up to the Great California ShakeOut, officials announced Wednesday.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services will bring the simulator to an area north of the Plaza de Panama Fountain at Balboa Park from 6 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 15, according to Cal OES.
The public will be able to experience simulated earthquake shaking while receiving preparedness information from earthquake experts.
The San Diego visit will be the final stop on the four-city Great California ShakeOut Tour, which will begin Monday in San Francisco, followed by Sacramento on Tuesday and Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“In California, the question isn’t whether the next earthquake will strike, but when. That’s why we’re committed to reaching communities across the state with the tools and information they need to protect their families before disaster hits,” Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said in a statement.
The tour is being held ahead of the Great California ShakeOut, an annual earthquake drill scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Oct. 15.
Millions of Californians are expected to participate in the drill and practice earthquake safety measures, including dropping to the ground, taking cover and holding on, according to Cal OES.
California also operates an earthquake alert system, which Cal OES describes as the first of its kind in the nation.
More information about the tour is available here.