SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Major earthquakes around the world over the past year are a reminder of how quickly and unexpectedly disaster can strike.
That’s one of the reasons the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is on its annual Great California ShakeOut tour.
On Tuesday, it brought an earthquake simulator to the Sacramento State University campus – one stop along a four-stop, statewide tour.
The simulator is capable of replicating the movement and force of earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 3.0 to 7.0.
The public is invited to sit in the mobile unit as it shakes with the goal of getting them to think about what they’ll do if or when earthquakes of various sizes hit.
“I think it’s quite a jolt,” said Derek Lambeth of Cal OES. “It definitely wakes people up to realize, ‘I don’t think I could stand in this and probably should not be running.'”
Cal OES’s earthquake readiness team is also encouraging people via the ShakeOut tour to download the MyShake app.
MyShake provides users with a few seconds of notice before shaking occurs for earthquakes with 4.5 magnitude or higher, according to Cal OES.
The app uses ground motion sensors from across the state to detect earthquakes before humans can feel them and notifies Californians to “drop, cover and hold on” until the shaking stops.
The main piece of information readiness advocates want to give is for people to prepare before an earthquake strikes.
“Earthquakes don’t have emotions. They will do whatever they want, whenever they want,” said Jon Gudel of Cal OES. “Know what to do before you feel the shaking.”
The ShakeOut tour will culminate on Thursday with the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill. That’s when millions across California are set to practice what to do when an earthquake strikes. It is scheduled to happen at 10:15 a.m.
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