Great Southern California ShakeOut Teaches Earthquake Awareness

BURBANK, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Students of Stevenson Elementary School drop, cover and hold on during the region-wide simulation of an expected catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the San Andreas Fault during the Great Southern California ShakeOut earthquake drill, the largest earthquake preparedness event in US history, on November 13, 2008 in the Los Angeles area city of Burbank, California. An estimated 5.2 million people in Southern California are expected to participate in the scenario in which 1,800 people die, 53,000 people are injured, 1,500 buildings collapse, 1,600 fires ignite, and $213 billion in damage are done by a quake 50 times more intense than the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Scientist believe that on average, a massive earthquake occurs south of the San Gabriel Mountains about every 150 years. The last one was at least 300 years ago. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)